


Empty Hands

by the_casket_girls



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, He Does His Best to Be Good At It, His Best Is Not Always Very Good, M/M, On Hiatus, Tony is a dad, daddy issues abound
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-15 06:56:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 53,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11800800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_casket_girls/pseuds/the_casket_girls
Summary: “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.”— UnknownTony has been a rich man for a long time. Before that, he was a rich boy, a rich baby, a rich fetus, a rich gleam in his father's eye-Bottom line, he's rich. After Afghanistan, he started to see that that didn't really mean what he thought it did. It's a lesson that's taken a long time to sink in, but now that it has, there's no going back.Only forward.-- ON HIATUS as of July 2018. Check the last chapter for more info --





	1. Shadows Settle on the Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThisIsLightful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLightful/gifts).



> Hey all! So, I've been cooking up this baby after a few rant sessions with my beta reader/critique partner J. Ace, and I figured I'd just start popping it out for you all to see now. I can't promise regular updates, not between writing this, my other fic, and The Revellers, but I can promise that I'm invested in this story, I have great things planned, and I look forward to making that all happen. However long that takes.
> 
> (Chapter titles are all derived from the song "Youth" by Daughter.)

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

#  _Shadows Settle On the Place_

  
  


 

Dust motes spun through the air, catching the light as it spiralled toward the floor like glitter at Mardi Gras.

Tony should know; he'd been to enough Mardi Grases. Grasi. Whatever the plural was.

He was a little bit too drunk to think to ask FRIDAY.

There was also the small matter of his AI not being present in his current locale: the Stark family home.

He didn't know what it was that had convinced him to revisit it. Perhaps it was the implosion of all but a choice few of his personal relationships. Perhaps it was brain damage from the beatdown he got from Cap. Perhaps it was the discovery of how his parents had  _really_  died.

Perhaps he just felt like wallowing in a way that didn't involve destruction to public property.

So with the half-empty bottle of one his father's old scotches in hand, Tony wandered through the house, taking in the faded wallpaper, the plastic-covered furniture. He didn't know why he hadn't had the place packed up and sold off after their death; truthfully, he just hadn't wanted to think about it.

He thought about it now.

His mother's favourite, fire-engine red mugs were still hanging on hooks in the kitchen. He ran a finger over them, the red long since faded and covered in dust. They still clanked together, though, just as they had when he was a kid.

She'd sat in the sunroom every day of his childhood sipping coffee from those very same mugs, reading through the entertainment section of the newspaper in nothing but her gingham dressing gown and a pair of ratty slippers he'd given her for mother's day one year.

For a moment, Tony wondered if the mugs would still smell like the instant coffee his mother had loved so much. He left them behind before he could start feeling stupid for that.

Someone had taken the Christmas tree from the living room. A good thing, too, because it would've been a mess of dead firs and rotting wood by this point. But there was still tinsel over the fireplace and baubles hanging from string over one of the arches leading from the living room into the dining room. Tony crossed over to the fireplace, running a hand over the faded silver tinsel there.

Above the mantelplace was a cross-stitch frame, something his grandmother had made for his parent's wedding, before Parkinson's took her hands and then her life. She'd made it for Howard specifically, for her son-in-law, a man she barely tolerated, if Tony remembered correctly:

_A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty._

Nan had been a savvy woman, so Tony had no doubt that this was a subtle dig at his father's wealth and general apathy. She'd died before she saw how her son-in-law got on with her grandson, but she must have had some clue how it would go.

She hadn't been wrong.

Tony resumed his wandering, up to the second level where his childhood bedroom was preserved. He took another swig of scotch, savouring the burn, before he opened the door and walked in.

The room was bare, empty walls and cold floors and a high ceiling streaked with spiderwebs like streamers. The mattress was naked, the sheets stripped off long ago. Every shelf was empty, and he knew that if he investigated the cupboard he'd find it much the same.

This room had been purged of any childhood memorabilia that day he shipped off to MIT.

Pepper had always wanted to see his childhood bedroom. She'd joked about it occasionally, though it didn't take her long to see how he clammed up when it was mentioned. She stopped talking about his childhood soon after that.

He wished he'd shown her. Maybe, if she saw this, this facsimile of his former life, she'd understand. Maybe then, she wouldn't have left.

He'd had other girls in this room, of course. Plenty. Not many of them had meant anything. Perhaps that was why Pepper left; the list was too long, to far-reaching, too public, too uncomfortable.

(He knew that wasn't why.)

Setting the scotch down on the empty desk, Tony stumbled over to the bed, laying down on the mattress. Even after all these years it was still comfortable, top of the line for its time. He linked his arms under his head, stared up at the spidersilk streamers, and drifted off to a heady, drunken sleep.

* * *

Guzzling the rest of her disposable cup of coffee, Caroline tossed it into the trash can as she passed it. There were more trash cans in the boarding school now, courtesy of an influx of students that had meant overfilling cans and bad smells in her school. Of course, they had more bins, but not more staff to empty them, so it took the janitors twice as long just to deal with the trash every day. And she didn't have the money to hire more janitors, nor the time to track down janitors that could be trusted to keep the school's secrets.

No one had ever told her it would be this hard.

Arriving at the History classroom, Caroline didn't bother knocking. If Ric was doing anything in there he needed privacy for, she'd skin him alive.

Luckily for him he was seated at his desk, marking papers with a green pen (he was too gentle to use red). Looking up at her over the reading glasses she used to mock (back when she had the time), he gestured to the desks across from him. "Take a seat."

Caroline marched over, slamming a file down on the desk in front of him. She'd be damned if she was going to sit behind one of the desks like she was his student again, so she remained standing.

"What's this?" asked Ric, opening up the file. His eyebrows raised promptly. Combined with his greying hair and reading glasses he looked like a walking caricature of a grumpy history professor. "Is this—"

"The combined total for all the supplies we need for next semester, yeah," said Caroline. "Unless one of us screws twenty thousand dollars out of one of the benefactors at the next school function, there's no way we can cover this."

Ric's nose wrinkled down the middle at her vulgarity, but she didn't particularly care. "Does Valerie really need new blank grimoires?"

"She has a new crop of witches moving into intermediate classes."

"Yeah, but does she need the leather bound monstrosities? Why can't she just use some of the college ruled notebooks we have in storage?"

"In her words,  _Half of being a witch is about the aesthetic, Caroline_."

"Then she can pay for her aesthetic out of her own pocket, because we are not paying three hundred dollars for books for twenty students."

"Would you like to tell her that? Because I've had enough of being the bad guy."

"You're not the bad guy, you're the only one that keeps us running."

"Not at this rate." Giving up the last of her pride, Caroline moved and sat down behind one of the desks in the front row.  _Just like being back in high school_ , she grumbled to herself. "We can't keep going like this, Ric. Budgeting for this semester was hard enough. It's only getting worse. And we both know why."

"We can't go back on that, Caroline."

"Ric, we don't have a choice. We have, what, fifty students that aren't paying a dime to go here? We're running a school, and we need money to do that. If they aren't paying tuition, we don't have enough to cover their meals, to employ the staff to clean up after them, to buy the freaking  _grimoires_ to keep them engaged in their study—"

"I get it, Care, I do. But we can't just send them away. Unless you're willing to ask Klaus for another donation—"

Caroline visibly flinched. "No, thanks. I'd rather screw the donation out of someone else."

"I know you're joking, but the thought still makes me uncomfortable. You know he'd give it to you if you asked."

"Well, I'm not asking, so we'll have to find another solution." To her shame, Caroline felt tears burning behind her eyes. With anyone else, she might have blinked them away, but this was Ric, so she let them fall. "I just can't keep doing this, Ric. We've taken cuts to our paychecks, we've tightened the budget as far as we can, we're running out of options. We can't support those kids without their tuition."

Ric sighed, running a hand over his head as he looked over the budget again. "I can talk to Valerie for you, take that off your plate. I'm sure she'll come around. And maybe we can cut some of the cleaning staff and have the kids do chores instead?"

"We can't employ child labour, Ric."

"They do it in Japan; I went on exchange there when I first started teaching. It teaches respect in the kids and works really well."

"Yeah, until their white-ass parents find out and pull them out of school. And we both know the parents that'll do that are the middle class ones actually paying tuition, so we'll be screwed. Besides, who do you want to fire? Sherry's wife is pregnant and Blake just came back after his sick leave. This is Laura's first paying job, and she's forty years old and a werewolf to boot. And we give her  _board_ , Alaric. We'd be kicking her out of her home as well."

"Point taken." Ric closed the folder as though he couldn't bear to look at the budget any longer. "What are we going to do?"

Caroline pulled the sleeve of her cardigan down over her hand and used it to dab the tears off her cheeks. "I have an interview with some parents tomorrow, and they seem willing to pay and they have a few kids to boot. If I can get them onboard the new kids' tuition might help us with the budget. But we have to make it tighter than it was before, by far."

"If you focus on the interview tomorrow, I'll take care of trimming the fat off the budget." Alaric was already eyeing the budget like it smelled bad, but at least he was pitching in. She'd known he would, obviously, but it was still nice to hear his pledge to help.

"Valerie's ridiculous demands notwithstanding," said Caroline, "there's not a lot of fat left. Soon we'll be down to trimming muscle."

"We'll do whatever we have to to ride this out. I'm sure it's just a rough patch."

Caroline nodded, but her heart wasn't in it. "We can't lose this school, Ric. The girls don't have another option."

"We won't," he vowed. "If we get desperate, I'll screw Klaus for the money."

Caroline burst out laughing through her tears.

"You know he wouldn't make you do that, though," Ric continued. "If you ask him for help, he'll give it. No questions asked."

"I know. I just don't want to ask any questions myself."

Most people would have pushed the matter, but Ric wasn't most people.

"We'll get through this, Care," he reassured her. "We've gotten through worse."

"Not worse," Caroline corrected, struggling to her feet. "Just different."

She tapped the budget with a fingernail on the way out.

* * *

Tony's little black book was less little black book, more "carefully curated digital file for security purposes only". A CCDFFSPO, if you will.

The names of every woman he'd slept with in the last twenty-odd years, alphabetised and ranked in other of potential threat level. Tony didn't know whether he had JARVIS or Happy to thank for that, but either way judging STEVENSON, Bertha as one of the most dangerous due to her brother working in a knife factory was perhaps the most bizarre thing he'd seen in a while.

Tony was laid out on one of the sofas in the living room of the house, the only one not wrapped in plastic. He was scrolling through the CCDFFSPO (he really needed to find a better term for it) while in a pair of his father's old pajamas, ones with a tartan pattern that smelled like mothballs and disappointment.

It wasn't that breaking up with Pepper was unexpected, per se. He'd always assumed it would happen eventually, but you could expect a punch in the face, too, and that wouldn't stop it from hurting.

More than anything, Tony hadn't anticipated the silence. His life was busy and loud, all ACDC and the hum of the suit and the dulcet tones of power tools. But those were all sounds he chose, sounds he made happen. The stretches of time where Pepper would have spoken—where she would have chastised him or cautioned him or praised him—were like gaping wounds, fresh each time.

He should have brought her here. Maybe then, she wouldn't have left. She might even have understood.

It was too late now, of course. So Tony drank and flicked through his CCDFFSPO, reminiscing where he could and feeling guilty for the dalliances he couldn't. Most spring breaks in college were a blur, and he didn't recognise any of the photographs, old or new, that came with each file.

Pulling his laptop up from where it had been sitting, Tony started it up, pulling up a search engine of his own devising because he'd be damned if he fed the corporate leviathan that was Google. There was one LYNN, Nellie that he didn't recognise nor remember, so he looked her up first, more out of curiosity than anything else.

LYNN, Nellie was now ALBERTSON, Nellie, married with three children. No, a widow with three children.

The scotch soured in his mouth, and he set the glass down on the shag carpet beside the sofa.

Checking through her Facebook, he discovered a number of things rapidly: one, her oldest son was close to being kicked out of school (there was an entire rant about that one); two, her husband had died in Afghanistan a few months prior; and three, she was in serious financial trouble, as shown by the state of her house in the few pictures she had up.

"FRIDAY?" he said, surprised that his voice still worked after days alone, unspeaking. He saw the blue light blink on his laptop, showing that his AI was listening. "What can you find out about Nellie Albertson's financial status?"

It took all of three seconds for FRIDAY to begin showing bank statements, financial records, the worst. An invasion of privacy, sure, but Tony was too drunk to care.

Her mortgage was fucking astonishing for the shithole shown in her pictures. And from the looks of things, she wasn't receiving any widow's pension from the government.

A quick enquiry via FRIDAY revealed that she'd divorced her husband weeks before his deployment, leaving her without widow's pension or alimony now that he was dead.

Fuck.

"Pay off all her debts, FRIDAY," said Tony.

_"Boss, are you su—"_

"Just do it. Make it anonymous." He didn't even remember this woman. How could he not remember? God, how did she remember him? The rich douchebag who spent one night with her and went on to get richer while she struggled every day?

Fuck that.

Scanning through the CCDFFSPO again, Tony flicked the list all the way to the top again to find ABERNATHY, Kailynn. He remembered her, very clearly in fact.

"FRIDAY," he began. "Find me information on Kailynn Abernathy."

* * *

Tony worked his way through the list, finding more debts, more children, more lives lived that he'd never even thought of. He didn't know if normal people kept track of their exes, but not even knowing half of their names was definitely a dick move.

So was searching through their private information, but he was going through a thing. They'd forgive him once they saw the 0s in their accounts.

CORNER, Alice was a sales rep for a cosmetics company with a stagnant career that hadn't changed in ten years in spite of, from what Tony could see, several requests for promotions and pay raises. He paid off her student loans without even touching a button.

FIDDLE, Rachelle was currently trying to work, raise a kid, support an unemployed partner, and earn her Masters in Education. FRIDAY had long stopped questioning him when he asked her to pay off debt after debt.

Finally, he came upon a name that he didn't want to see. A name he'd never forget, because he'd personally updated it after she got married.

FORBES, Elizabeth.

He skipped it, resolving to come back to it later. He made it past GRACE, Randy and three more before he gave up on trying to pretend he wasn't thinking about the one name he'd skipped, and scrolled back up to look at it again.

There were two pictures attached to her file, one of her as she was, and one of her some years later with shorter hair, a softer smile, and heavier eyes.

"FRIDAY," said Tony, wanting to get her out of the way as quickly as possible. "Does Elizabeth Forbes have any outstanding loans or debts?"

Silence for a moment.

"FRIDAY?" he prompted.

" _Elizabeth Forbes is deceased, boss."_

His heart stopped dead in his chest. "What?"

_"She passed away on February 8th, 2013. Cancer in the brain."_

"What hospital?"

_"Mystic Falls General, boss."_

_Of course. That fucking town. Phone already in hand, Tony asked FRIDAY, "Give me the cell number for her doctor."_

FRIDAY did, immediately loading it into the phone and dialling. It picked up after a few rings.

" _Hello?"_ asked a voice, masculine, potentially older.

"Tell me about Elizabeth Forbes."

" _I'm sorry? Who is this? How did you get this number?"_

"This is someone that can make or break your career. Tell me what happened to Elizabeth Forbes."

" _I don't know who—"_

"Elizabeth Forbes, died in your care on February 8th, 2013."

A sigh. " _Yes, I believe I remember her."_

"Tell me what happened to her right now or I swear to g—"

A sigh on the other end of the line. " _Sir, I'm very sorry for your loss, but I'm not at liberty to disclose patient information to anyone but their family members. If you want to know what happened, you will have to speak with Ms. Forbes's daughter."_

"Her—her daughter?"

" _I'm hanging up now. If you call again, I will inform the police."_

A click, and the call ended.

Tony sighed, leaning his forehead against the cool glass of his Starkphone. He dropped it on the sofa beside him, saying, "Show me more about Elizabeth Forbes's daughter."

" _Yes, boss."_

Information unfurled onto his screen, images lifted from Liz's Facebook, from her online photo albums, from her camera roll. Almost all of them were of her with a girl, that same, wheat-coloured hair on both of them, all wide smiles and bright eyes. He could see the resemblance, almost painfully so.

"Can you get me the girl's financial records?"

_"Yes, boss."_

The first thing that Tony learned was that Caroline Forbes was no longer Caroline Forbes, but instead Caroline Forbes-Salvatore, and yet her account was not connected to her husband's. An investigation revealed her to be a widow.

Losing her mother and her husband. Rough.

Bill was dead, too, Tony discovered. He didn't mind about that so much, having found the man distasteful in the extreme, but he pitied Caroline, with her mother's smile, living as an orphaned widow with a degree in … broadcast television?

Caroline Forbes was in reasonable financial standing and had no outstanding debts to be paid off. Her student loans lingered, so Tony saw to them quietly and with little fuss. Her personal accounts were running a little low, but he assumed it was just close to pay-day.

Then he saw her birthdate.

_October 10, 1992._

Well, fuck.


	2. 2: That You Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding is the name of the game as a concerned Rhodey seeks out Tony and Caroline seeks comfort in Valerie after a difficult day of work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ch. 2! Thanks for the response so far.

 

CHAPTER TWO

#  _ That You Left _

__  
  


**U.S. STANDARD CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH**

_ CHILD’S NAME (First, Middle, Last, Suffix) _

Caroline Maria Forbes 

_ TIME OF BIRTH (24 hr) _

0523

_ SEX _

Female

_ DATE OF BIRTH _

10/10/1992

 

_ FACILITY NAME _

Mystic Falls General Hospital

_ CITY, TOWN, OR LOCATION OF BIRTH _

Mystic Falls, Virginia 

_ COUNTRY OF BIRTH _

United States of America 

Tony stopped reading after that, skipping right down to:

_ FATHER’S CURRENT LEGAL NAME (First, Middle, Last, Suffix) _

William Forbes II

_William Forbes II._ The Second. Who names their kid "The Second"? What kind of pretentious, backwater bullshit—

_"Boss, are you all right? Your heartrate is elevated—"_

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Just fine."

He wasn't.

_Broken glass in his penthouse apartment—a shattered coffee table, if he remembered correctly. Thousands of Elizabeths reflected back at him, one in each shard, looming over him with a concerned look on her face._

_Hands on the backs of his shoulders. "Oh, Tony," she breathed, pulling him away from the broken glass. "It's all right. You're going to be all right."_

_He let himself be pulled, turned until his face was buried in her stomach, breathing her in. "Liz."_

_"Shh," she soothed, running her fingers through his hair. "I can help you. Let me help you."_

_He pulled back, looking up into her eyes. They stared at one another, and then he was surging up, meeting her lips with his._

_She let him, responding in kind._

That had been two months after his parents' death. Late January or early February, 1992. And then, some nine-odd months later, Caroline Maria Forbes.

_Maria._

"God, Liz," he said, staring at the image of his daughter in a cheerleading outfit, all wide smiles and soft blue-grey eyes. Not brown like his and Liz's, not dark blue like William The Second Douchebag. Eyes just like his mother's—the first Maria. "What did you do?"

* * *

Caroline shuffled the brochures in her hands for the thousandth time, checking her watch for the millionth.  _9:42._ Just under 20 minutes until the Mastersons were due to arrive for their school tour.

She checked her watch again, finding it only a minute later. It was a nice watch, she had to admit, a delicate but hardy silver band with blue stones either side of the face. Ric had bought it for her for Christmas to replace her digital watch after she'd started using the stopwatch function obsessively to measure everything in the name of making it more efficient. He'd uninstalled the timer app on her phone, too, but she didn't mind. She'd done the same to him with Candy Crush.

Running her fingers around the inside of the band, Caroline closed her eyes and tried counting backwards from a hundred. That was supposed to calm you down, right? She always saw it on  _Grey's Anatomy_  when they were trying to get someone to pass out from anaesthetic in the OR, so she figured it was relaxing in some way.

Whatever its usual purpose, it did not work on her.

She moved to her feet from where she'd been sitting on the front steps, the cold of the pavement bleeding through her skirt and tights and numbing her ass. All the kids were in class, leaving her with no one to scold or oversee. She'd never admit it, but being the only member of staff that wasn't teaching classes felt kind of lonely sometimes. But what could she teach? Vamp Control 101? They had no vampire students. Advanced Timekeeping? What kid wanted to learn about making schedules?

Besides, it wasn't her job. Ric was the teacher, the one with hundreds of students lining up for his approval. She was the cranky office lady that told them they couldn't get their favourite type of notebooks for budgetary reasons. She was pretty sure she'd lost all their respect when she switched the ketchup to a cheap brand a few months back.

God, she was not in the right headspace for this. And she only had … 10 minutes and 42 seconds to get in the right headspace.

Fuck.

* * *

The car pulled in 2 minutes before it was due to, and by then Caroline had managed to soothe her jitters by rocking on her heels until she nearly teetered over. Twice.

"Mr. and Mrs. Masterson?" Caroline asked, stepping forward and offering her hand to the approaching couple. They'd parked right in the middle of the drive-through driveway, but Caroline stopped herself from asking them to use the  _clearly signed_ carpark out to the side of the building. God, she needed these people's money so much it was embarrassing.

Mr. and Mrs. Masterson were what Bonnie would've unironically called apple-pie whites: pale skin, manicured fingernails (both of them), shining white teeth, and the glow of pilates and golf courses and all things upper middle class. Mrs. Masterson was even wearing a pantsuit, for god's sakes.

"You must be Headmistress Salvatore," said Mr. Masterson, taking her hand in the limpest handshake she'd ever felt.

"That I am," Caroline confirmed, turning to his wife. She took Caroline's hand and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, and the smell of her lipstick almost made Caroline want to barf. "It's so nice to meet you both." She stepped back from the lipstick-breath and untucked the brochures from where she'd stowed them under her arm, handing one to each of them. "Here are your brochures, containing all the information you need to know with a map of the grounds on the back. Now, all the students are in class right now, but I anticipate that the tour will take a little longer than than an hour, so you'll run into them in the halls at some point while they take their morning break—"

"You have breaks in the morning?"

"We institute a break of at least 20 minutes every 2 hours. Classes begin at 8:30, so we'll probably see them all around in half an hour or so. If you'd come with me, I'd love to show you the grounds out the back before they're teeming with children. The younger ones are very friendly and will probably try and convince you to join them in the sandbox."

"You have a sandbox?" asked Mrs. Masterson, stepping timidly through the grass as they rounded the side of the building toward the back of the property. "I read an article just the other week talking about a child catching the measles from playing in the sandbox."

"Children catch measles at school, and schools have sandboxes. And while we are a school with a sandbox, we also do not admit children without up-to-date vaccinations."

"Do you feel it's wise to politicise your enrolment policies in that way?" asked Mr. Masterson as they arrived at the play area out the back.

Caroline's smile was tight, but she gave herself an A for effort. "It's not political to assure the physical safety of our students. Illness spreads quickly in close quarters, and boarding schools are definitely that. To avoid an epidemic, we find it best to make our enrolment policies as clear as possible. The only students exempt are those with valid religious reasons."  _God, you could ignore the policy just once and let these crazy ass anti-vaxxers in …_ But Josie had gotten whooping cough as a baby from a child at daycare that hadn't been vaccinated, and there was no way Caroline was budging on this. "If you wish for your children to attend here, they will need to be vaccinated. It's one of the requirements."

"The other being?"

"An affinity for magic or the supernatural, or supernatural circumstances that prevent a child from attending mainstream schools. Do your children fit either of these criteria?"

Mrs. Masterson looked distinctly uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken, casting her gaze off into the distance while her husband cleared his throat and said, "I … am a witch."

_Good for you._ "So your children have an affinity for magic, then?"

"Our oldest, Michael, is coming up on his twelfth birthday. He's shown some talent, but his control isn't …" his jaw worked, "... as perfect as we'd wish it to be."

"We can help with control. It's something we specialise in. And from what I understand you have two children you're interested in enrolling?"

"Our youngest isn't a witch," said Mrs. Masterson, and she seemed quite adamant.

_Humans._

Mr. Masterson spoke up. "But we are investigating the possibility of sending her here, just so she doesn't come into her powers while attending a … normal school."

"We don't use the word  _normal_ here," Caroline said, trying to keep any censure out of her tone. "But yes, we can admit any child you think might express magical abilities. Often the relatives of witches that haven't had their first expression of magic feel othered as a result, so we do our best to accommodate them and create a safe space for them to come into it, or not."

"And what about …" Mr. Masterson cleared his throat again. Apparently, it was a nervous tic. "Our son, Michael, his control is … not good. He's shattering windows, bursting light bulbs. He caused a power surge that turned a whole neighbourhood dark for three days. Do you really think you can control that here?"

"We prefer to explore avenues that encourage children to grow into their powers and learn to control them in a healthy environment. It's highly likely that Michael's abilities are going haywire because he's in a situation where he has to suppress them."

"So you're saying it's our fault?" asked Mrs. Masterson.

"Not in the least," Caroline was quick to reassure her. "I'm just saying that it's not entirely unusual, and it will probably resolve once he's in an atmosphere where he can really thrive."

"And if nothing changes? How will you control him here? What measures do you have in place to stop him from hurting others, or himself?"

"Mrs. Masterson," said Caroline, stepping closer to the woman. "I understand you're afraid, I really do. But we're good at what we do here. It's our job."

"Answer her question," said Mr. Masterson.

Caroline sighed. "Yes, there are measures we can take to further suppress magical abilities, but they're last resorts."

"What kinds of measures?" asked Mr. Masterson.

Caroline was increasingly getting the feeling that Mr. Masterson had never been trained in his magic at all. "Spells can be applied to jewellery that dampen or eliminate magical ability, but as I said, it's a last—"

"We want that," said Mrs. Masterson. "If we had it, he could still attend a normal school—"

"We really don't like to—"

"—use that word, I know," Mrs. Masterson brushed it off. "But if there's a way we can keep my son human—"

"He's not human, Mrs. Masterson," Caroline said, voice strangled with the effort it was taking to control herself. "He's a witch, and your daughter might be too. You can't avoid that forever. Jewellery gets lost. Spells wear off over time. And when the day comes that the measures you've taken to protect your son from himself are gone, he'll lose control like you've never seen before. It'll be devastating."

"Eileen," said Mr. Masterson, "she may have a point—"

"She wants money for her school," spat Mrs. Masterson. "Look at this place, Sean. The paint is peeling off the playground, the grass hasn't been mown in weeks, the vegetable patch is dying—she wants our money, not our kids." She whirled on Caroline. "Make us one of those damn charms, and we'll pay for it. Thousands. As much as the tuition would've been. We'll take it and go."

"Mrs. Masterson, I really don't recommend—"

"My son is not spending his childhood locked in this freak show!" The woman's voice was nearing hysterical, all high-pitched and shrill. "Not if you're telling me there's another way."

"There is, but—"

"Then  _do it_. Do it right now."

"The charm takes time, and I'd have to talk to one of our witches—"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Mrs. Masterson. "You're not a witch?"

"Well, no," said Caroline. Mr. Masterson should have sensed what she was the moment he shook her hand, but he seemed just as confused as his wife. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew. I'm a vampire."

They both paled even more, looking ill. "You expect us to trust you with our children?"

"Mr. Masterson, my own children attend this school. All the parents know what I am, and they know it puts me in a better position to teach control and to protect them if any problems arise. They're in no danger from me—"

"Just make the fucking charm," said Mr. Masterson, pulling a checkbook and pen from his coat pocket and scribbling on it. He tore the top check off and threw it in Caroline's direction.

Her jaw almost dropped at the amount.

"Take it," said Mrs. Masterson. "We'll expect the charm for Michael in our postbox within a week."

They began walking away, anchored to one another, but Caroline called after them, "Wait!" She jogged to catch up, her heels digging into the damp grass as she did so. They turned back to look at her, and she shoved the check back at Mr. Masterson. "I don't want it," she panted, hating herself as she did so. "We'll make the charm, but it won't last forever. And when it fades away"—she pulled a business card from her pocket—"call me."

He took the card, but didn't seem impressed. They stalked away, arm in arm, leaving Caroline in the dirt to wonder about what the fuck had possessed her to turn down seventy thousand dollars.

Oh, right—her conscience. If only that could pay the bills.

* * *

Tony had been off-the-grid for almost a week by the time Rhodey started getting really worried. His oldest friend had stuck around for just long enough to make sure Rhodey's recovery was going well before ducking out. Rhodey tried not to take it personally, figured it was just Tony being Tony and needing a couple of days, but then a week rolled by without any of his phone calls being returned, and, well … things became concerning.

Though mobility was becoming easier in increments, Rhodey still needed to use a chair most of the time. Driving was out of the question unless he bought a car designed for it, and even then it was a lot of hassle to get a license and practice and he just couldn't be bothered. Not when the Avengers (Tony) were bankrolling a driving service.

But when Rhodey asked his driver, Eloise, a stately older woman that wore a driving cap almost religiously, to drive him all the way to Massachusetts, she'd promptly informed him that she was only paid to drive him in the state of New York, at which point Rhodey had cursed a blue streak and just called an Uber.

There wasn't a wheelchair accessible option for Uber, so he paid extra for the guy to fold up his chair and stuff it beside him in the back of the car. What followed was one of the most uncomfortable trips Rhodey had ever taken, and he'd been attacked while a part of a convoy making its way through Afghanistan.

Because there was only one place Tony could be that wouldn't let FRIDAY show him images of Tony to make sure he was still alive (Tony had installed the "Mother Hen" Protocol for Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy's peace of mind the year before), Rhodey had the Uber stop there, finding the front lights on.

Waiting for the Uber to unpack his chair, Rhodey shoved his suitcase out of the door. His steps over to the chair were shaky, but he handed over the fare and sent the driver on his way without accepting a single guilt-ridden offer of assistance, thank you very much.

Left alone, Rhodey rolled the chair forwards with his suitcase on his lap, balanced precariously in a position only maintained because he leant down and rested his chin atop it. The front door was unlocked, so he rolled over the threshold none-too-gracefully and made his way towards the stink of scotch.

The living room was just as he remembered it, sans the mess of technological equipment and general stench of alcohol. No, scratch that—Howard had drank plenty of alcohol. Just never in front of Maria.

Tony was lying flat on the sofa, knees pulled up to act as a stand for his laptop while his fingers flew over the keys. He mustn't have heard Rhodey's approach, as he made no move to acknowledge the other man's presence.

"What's a man gotta do to stop you from drinking around here?" he asked, finding it hard to wheel over the shag carpet. Giving up, he stood, wobbling over to fall onto a sofa across from Tony.

Tony made no move to acknowledge him or the inside joke that had been his opening statement. He just kept on tapping, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Which meant he probably hadn't.

"Hey, Tony," said Rhodey, tone sharper.

Snapping out of his daze, Tony turned to look at Rhodey. The bags under his eyes were dark, and he looked borderline haggard. "What are you doing here?" He sounded tired, as though he couldn't even muster up the strength to apply a tone to his question.

"Well, a friend of mine dropped off the face of the earth. I figured I'd come and see if he needed a hand getting back up again."

Running a hand over his hair, Tony squeezed his eyes closed. "What day is it?"

"Wednesday."

"Shit. I didn't expect to be gone that long."

"Just long enough to make us all wonder if you were dead?"

"Gotta keep you guys on your toes."

"This isn't a game, Tone. You could've been seriously hurt, and we wouldn't have known."

"FRIDAY's been keeping an eye on me."

"FRIDAY is only here because she's loaded onto your laptop. She can't stop you from getting shot."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "And you can?"

Rhodey sighed. "Look, dude. You gotta sleep. We both do, because I just had the car ride from hell. So you're gonna help me take a piss, and then we're going to find somewhere in this house to curl up and hibernate."

Tony turned back to his laptop, shaking his head. "Can't. Busy."

"Whatever you're designing can wait—"

"I'm not designing anything, Rhodes."

"Then what's so important that you haven't slept in a week?"

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, taking a deep breath. "Do you remember Elizabeth Dean?"

"I know of her, but you never let me meet her."

"Yeah, because you'd scare her off."

Rhodey snorted. "No, because introducing her to me would mean you were serious about her, which would scare  _you_ off. I am not the difficult one in this dynamic."

"Point taken."

"Why's she coming up now? Didn't she get married to that Fork dude?"

"Forbes, and yes."

Rhodey stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see if Tony would react. He remembered how his friend had been after Liz left, and they hadn't spoken about her in years. He should've guessed that Pepper walking out would dredge up old feelings. Best to let it all run its course, he thought. And he usually thought right.

"She's dead," Tony said finally.

Rhodey shifted to sit more comfortably, the plastic underneath him crackling. He took off his hoodie and tucked it under his back to put him in a better position. "I'm really sorry to hear that. Did you just find out?"

Tony nodded. "She died a couple years back. Cancer."

"That sucks, dude. So you been up all this time, thinking about her?"

Tony shook his head. "Not her, specifically."

"Then what?"

"I—I don't know." Tony sat up abruptly, slamming the laptop shut and tossing it beside him on the sofa. "I wanted to help her, you know, after all this time. But when I found out she was dead, and of something like that, I just … it's crazy, Rhodey. You should've seen her. She was always so alive."

"It's hard to reconcile, I know—"

"So I called the doctor that was in charge of her case, and he said to ask her daughter for more specifics."

"She and Forks had a kid, then."

Tony met his gaze for the first time all day. "I'm not so sure they did, Rhodes."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she gave birth to her daughter in October, 1992."

"Didn't she get married in January? That makes sense."

"Except that she and Bill barely had sex."

Rhodey frowned. "Do I want to know how you know that?"

"She told me."

"I'm sorry, when was this? Because didn't she walk out after your parents died? And that was December '91."

"She came back to check on me in early February. Said her marriage wasn't what she expected, said Bill wasn't around as much as she thought. It worked for her, because she wanted to work on her career, but … he didn't have much time for her."

Realisation was slowly beginning to dawn on Rhodey. "But you  _did_ have time for her."

Tony's jaw tightened. "Just the one night."

"And then … nine months later …"

"Yeah."

"Shit."

" _Yeah."_

"So …" Rhodey rubbed the nape of his neck, feeling hot all of a sudden. If Tony had a kid, after all this time … "You've been looking her up, then? Trying to figure out if the dates match?"

"They match. I've been … looking into her."

"And?"

"She's smart. Not, y'know, MIT-at-sixteen smart, but she got good grades, worked hard. Harder than me—"

"Probably makes her smarter than you, if we're comparing."

Tony chuffed a laugh, some of the tension going out of his frame. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "She runs a school for gifted kids in Virginia."

"And she's only … what? Twenty-five? Ambitious."

"Yeah, it is. She's a widow, too."

"Damn."

"Yeah. Can't find much information on the guy, but she's still got his name. Caroline Forbes-Salvatore. Caroline  _Maria_ Forbes-Salvatore."

"Liz gave her your mom's name. That can't be a coincidence."

"She's got kids, too."

Tony being a father had always been a vague possibility, especially once Pepper came into his life. But grandfather? "How many?"

"Twin girls. Elizabeth and Josette."

"With the dead husband?"

"Someone else is on the birth certificate. I looked him up. He was her history teacher in high school." Tony's jaw tensed as he spoke.

"That's—shit."

"She was nineteen when she had them, but still. Not ideal by any stretch. Not that that's up to me."

Rhodey dropped his face into his hands. "That's … a lot of information to take in. I can see why you haven't been sleeping."

"Yeah. No shit."

"So … What are you gonna do about it?"

Tony looked genuinely terrified. "I have no idea."

* * *

Caroline slammed the toilet cover down, sitting on top of it. She should sit on a normal chair, she knew, but this didn't feel like a normal-chair kind of break down. This felt like a sit-fully-clothed-on-the-closed-toilet-with-your-face-in-your-hands kind of break down.

And that was exactly what she did.

About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. She didn't respond, and it opened a moment later to reveal Valerie. This was the bathroom connected to both hers and Ric's rooms, and it had two doors either side and twin sinks so they could gossip while they brushed their teeth. There was also the added bonus of anyone bursting in from Ric's side to check on her when she was having a breakdown.

Valerie sighed and pulled the small aluminium bin over so she could sit on it in front of Caroline. "I take it the interview didn't go well."

Carolin tore some toilet paper off and wiped at her tears. The paper came away streaked with black, stained by her running mascara. "Not in so many words, no."

Valerie patted Caroline's knee, her wedding ring flashing. "It'll be all right. We'll figure things out."

"Will we? Because it's starting to feel like we're just digging ourselves deeper and deeper into a hole—"

"Caroline," Valerie said, using her stern, Professor Bennet voice. "We don't get any governmental assistance. You run this place on donations and tuition fees, and half the children aren't even paying to attend here. It's a miracle that you've kept it on its feet, and I believe that's a miracle you can keep going."

"I don't think we can run on miracles and hope, Valerie. We need money. We needed that couple this afternoon."

"We don't need miracles; we have Caroline Forbes-Salvatore."

"I've burned through all of Stefan's money." Caroline sniffed, bunching the toilet paper up in a fist. "I guess I just feel like, if this doesn't work, I'm letting him down. It's his legacy, after all."

"You're a Salvatore too," Valerie reminded her. "This is your legacy as much as his. This is your home, your daughters' home. I believe you'll fight for it. You won't let the hard times win." She hesitated. "And if all else fails, I can compel someone to contribute."

"You know we don't do that, Val."

"We might have to."

"Bon would hate it."

Valerie smiled. "Bonnie is my wife, not my mother. I love her, and I want her to be happy, but I'm not going to tailor my behaviour to fit her worldview. Not when that would mean losing our home. And I think we both know that, if it came down to it, Bonnie would be fine with anything we had to do for this place."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Caroline groaned and closed her eyes, leaning back and feeling the plastic creak beneath her. "I'm going to have to get up, aren't I?"

"I can lie and tell them you're having a nap for a while longer, if you like."

Cracking one eye open, Caroline asked, "You would do that for me?"

"That and more." Valerie patted her knee one last time before standing, moving the bin back into the corner with her feet. "I have a class, but I'll come and see you after. We can talk about our options."

"Okay."

"And I'll see if I can't convince the kids to use boring old college-ruled notebooks as grimoires. The leather-bound ones were a little overdramatic."

Caroline's smile was much more serene than she felt. "The school is saved."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Not yet, but we'll get there."

And she left Caroline alone, staring at the stark white ceiling once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ch. 3 should be up in a few days, but I've caught the flu and can't really type without getting exhausted (yay chronic illness and shitty immune system), so there may be a wait for that.


	3. Our Minds Are Troubled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little later than I wanted. I've been pretty sick. For anyone waiting on anything for Oblivion Hymns, I'm sorry, but that's a lot harder to write (more carefully plotted, complex structure, etc) and I didn't feel up to navigating it this week.

 

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

#  _ Our Minds Are Troubled _

 

Fifteen years ago at Grandpa Dean's house, on his rickety coffee table, had sat Rush Hour.

Caroline guessed there was probably an app version of it by now, but she remembered the wooden blocks painted like cars and trucks, all gridlocked onto the board. She remembered spending hours there, hunched over the coffee table while her mother and grandfather talked, trying to get the red car out of the traffic.  _If I move the firetruck here, the taxi can go there, and the car can come out._

She'd been determined to complete every challenge. And, in time, she had.

Trying to work out the budget was kind of like Rush Hour, just less fun. Also, her mother wasn't around to tell her to stop hunching over before she got a stiff back. Not that she got stiff, being undead, but still. Concentrating wasn't quite the same without her mother's voice ordering her to sit up straight.

She'd been wrestling with the budget for hours every day, sitting down at her desk as soon as the kids went into class in the morning and often not emerging until just on bedtime, if only to wish the twins goodnight.

Nothing magical was happening. There were no miracles. They were on a shoestring budget, and things were not looking up.

Truth be told, she wasn't too sure how long she could keep this going.

* * *

Rhodey took the liberty of charging the grocery order to Tony's credit card. The delivery arrived before Tony woke, so Rhodey did what he could to put away the perishables (milk, mostly) and get some aspirin out onto the bench for Tony.

By the time Tony stumbled out, wild-haired and bleary-eyed, Rhodey had already eaten three energy bars and read Caroline Forbes-Salvatore's life history, including but not limited to her school reports (glowing), her college applications (upbeat but confident), and her twins' birth certificates. It was a huge invasion of privacy, sure, but somehow he felt like he should have all the same information as Tony, if only so he could stay up-to-date on the situation.

"How you feeling?" he asked, watching Tony slump into a chair at the breakfast bar, taking the aspirin without water and chewing it.

"Lousy."

"Well, colour me shocked."

"Can we save the sarcasm for when I'm not hungover?"

"Can you save the binge-drinking for when I'm not disabled?" Rhodey tried to meet Tony's eyes, but the man was committed to looking away. "Look, Tony, I love you. I want to be here for you. But I can't pick you up off the ground anymore. I can barely even stand on my own feet, even with the brace. Next time, it'll just be Happy. And I know you guys bicker."

"Happy's a mother hen. You all are."

"We care about you, but we can't put our lives on hold to save you all the time." Rhodey sighed. "Look—I know that what happened with Pepper was devastating. Learning about Liz is even worse. But if you've got a kid, Tony, you've got to get your act together. For her sake, for her kids' sakes, for your own sake. This has to stop."

"I just found at about her, Rhodes."

"I know, and there's a grace period with this stuff, but that period is coming to an end. You need a game plan. First of all: How are you going to get into contact with her?"

Tony finally met Rhodey's gaze. "That's simple," he said. "I'm not."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not talking to her, Rhodes. She's got her life; I've got mine. Why should I ruin either of those?"

"I'm sorry …" Rhodey ran a hand over his face, trying to rein in his temper. "You think Caroline is going to ruin your life? This fully-grown, independent woman?"

"The other way around, more like."

Well, that concern was predictable. "Tony, you're not going to ruin her life. If she doesn't want you in it, she'll tell you. You can at least do her the courtesy of asking her what she wants."

"And what about what I want?"

"Tony, you don't know what you want. That's why you have the rest of us to tell you what you  _don't_ want. You  _don't_ want to get drunk every day of the rest of your life. You  _don't_ want to screw yourself into a hole again. And I'm telling you right now, dude, you don't want to mess this up. She's your kid, man."

"She might not be."

"Then ask her. Do a paternity test. Do  _something_ , Tony. You have a chance here. Don't walk away from her. Not like your dad did to you."

Tony shot to his feet. "Do you think Dad walking out on me had anything to do with what was best for me? Do you think he sat there with his best friend and talked about how I'd be better off without him? Bullshit, Rhodes. He didn't care about me. He barely cared about Mom. He walked away because he had something better to do. That's not what's happening here."

Rhodey shook his head. "She's lost the parents that raised her and the man she married. She has two children with a man that's fifteen years older than her, a man that was responsible for her when she was a kid herself, so don't tell me you're not concerned about that. She might be in need of some serious help, and you're just gonna walk away?"

Tony folded his arms over his chest and leant back against the countertop, looking like the petulant child he'd once been in this very house. "This isn't the 50s, Rhodes. She's not looking for a father to muscle in and protect her."

"I think you'll find that the women in the 50s didn't want that, either. And that's not what this is. This isn't her dating a bad boy with a motorcycle, Tony. This is her giving birth to the children of a man that, one year earlier, was her history teacher. She was 19, dude. Tell me that doesn't look shifty."

Tony snorted. "And, what, Rhodes? You think I should peek over the fence and check up on them, see what's going on? She married someone else after she had the kids. She didn't end up with their father."

"And then the guy she married died. We still don't know anything about that—"

"Rhodey." There was a steely edge to Tony's voice that was rarely unsheathed. "We're leaving her alone. She doesn't want a part of this, trust me. She's got her life in order. I paid her student loans, and I'm checking in on that school she works at. She's got kids—"

"Your grandkids—"

"We don't know that!" snapped Tony. "We don't know anything here! All we know is that she's  _maybe, possibly, potentially_ mine, but that doesn't mean I can come and demolish her life like that's my right. Being my kid changes her whole life, puts her in danger, puts her kids in danger. I can't make that choice for her."

"That's exactly what you're doing, man! You're making the choice, and you're choosing not to give her a say in anything. That's not fair."

"I don't care what's fair, Rhodes." Tony pushed off from the counter, heading out of the room. "I've made my decision."

Rhodey watched him go, rubbing a hand over the nape of his neck.

* * *

That wasn't right.

Caroline refreshed the page, pinched herself on the arm, logged out of her account and back in again.

Each time, the total was the same.

They had over a million dollars in the school account. Someone had donated a million dollars overnight.

She picked up her phone from beside her on her desk, clumsy fingers dialling before she'd even thought it through.

" _Hello?"_

"What the hell did you do?" Caroline demanded.

Klaus chuckled. " _You're going to have to be more specific, love. I've done lots of things, as you well know."_

"Did you make a donation last night?" Caroline asked, scrolling frantically through the financial records to find the exact time. No account was attached, no identifying information. It was like the money had appeared out of nowhere.

" _Much as I enjoy sponsoring you little institution, I'm afraid I can't claim this one. Perhaps you have another admirer."_

"I like to think you donate to the school not just because you  _admire_  me," Caroline said, her tone perhaps a bit harsh. Whatever, she was exhausted and in shock. "And you'd better not be lying. If Ric or Valerie told you about our problems—"

" _Problems?"_ There was a shuffling sound on the other end, like rustling sheets. Maybe she'd woken him up. To be fair, it was almost noon. " _What sorts of problems?"_

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Nothing I can't manage. But if they asked you to do this, I want you to take it back. This is too much. I can't accept this."

Another chuckle sounded down the line. " _It must be a substantial sum if you're this ruffled over it."_

"I'm not  _ruffled_. I just don't like not knowing where it came from."

" _I hardly see how this is a problem, love. Surely it's the opposite. What is it they say about gift horses and mouths?"_

Of course he didn't understand what it was to owe things to people, how nerve wracking it would be to owe so much to someone she didn't even know. "I'm gonna go sort this out. And if I find out you were lying to me, I swear to god, Klaus, I'll track you down and do something horrible to you."

" _Promise?"_

Caroline pulled a face. "That is so not cute. Goodbye, Klaus."

" _Goodbye, love."_

Pressing the end call button, Caroline dropped the phone onto her table with a clatter, cradling her head in her hands.

* * *

Ric had just concluded his last class of the day when Caroline appeared, hair blown haphazardly like she'd run there at full vamp speed. Her eyes were wide and her open laptop was cradled in her arms like a newborn baby.

"Everything okay?" he asked, smothering a laugh at her appearance.

"We're millionaires."

"Um—what?"

Caroline set the laptop in front of him, walking back to kick the door shut so they had some privacy. By the time he'd finished looking at the screen she had seated herself across from him, arms folded on the desk and fingers tapping anxiously on the wood. "So?" she prompted.

Ric struggled for words for a moment. "Where the hell did this come from?"

"Klaus said it wasn't him. I don't know whether or not to believe that."

If Klaus had done this, he'd be taking credit, if only to get points with Caroline. Ric didn't think it was wise to propose that theory, though, so he said, "Maybe it was the Mastersons? We sent them the charm."

"They wouldn't have even gotten it by now, and I told them we didn't want their money for it. They don't strike me as the generous types."

Ric sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess we should just be grateful we have this. It's better than losing money and not knowing how."

"I don't like not knowing."

"I know you don't, and neither do I. But this is a good thing, Caroline. It's a godsend."

Though she nodded, Caroline didn't look like she agreed. She moved to her feet, chair squealing against the floor as it was pushed back. He closed her laptop and handed it to her; she hugged it against her chest like she used to with her books in high school. Sometimes she looked like she belonged right back in the halls of Mystic Falls High, when she got anxious and wide-eyed and lost the self-assurance she'd earned over the years since then. Right now was one of those times.

"I know you would've preferred to figure it out yourself," said Ric, "but this is the next best thing. Everything will be fine."

Her smile was weak and unconvincing. "I'm sure it will." She trotted away, heels clacking.

Ric waited for the door to shut behind her before he fished his phone out of his pocket, dialling Bonnie.

* * *

Rhodey wheeled into Tony's old bedroom, finding his friend stretched out on the bare mattress and scrolling through something on his phone. The chair was hard to maneuver over the thick carpeting, but he'd figured it out just in time to realise he needed to leave.

"I'm going to head out," said Rhodey, patting the bag in his lap. "You've got three days to head back to civilisation. If you take longer, I'll send Happy here to get your ass."

"Happy can't make me do anything."

"Bullshit. You don't even have a suit here."

Tony groaned, chucking his phone on the mattress and sitting up. "Rhodes, you can't just come in here and take over. It's not your job."

"You're right. But we both know whose job it was, and she's not here anymore. So we're all gonna have to make do with what we've got." Rhodey held his friend's tense gaze. "Look, I'm gonna go. But you take care of yourself, otherwise we're gonna have to take care of you. And I know you don't like that, so do us all a favour and pour out the scotch."

Tony rolled his eyes, falling back against the bed. "Sure, Rhodes."

Rhodey didn't bother replying; he knew Tony was a lost cause. For now.

* * *

"Apparently," said Bonnie, strolling into Caroline's bedroom and collapsing onto the bed beside her, "I need to keep an eye on you."

"Ric told you, huh?"

"Called me as soon as you left his classroom."

Caroline rolled her eyes, setting aside the book she'd been trying (and failing) to read. "You guys work in the same building. I don't know why you can't just walk and see each other."

"Calling is easier, and that's not the point." Bonnie shifted so her head was resting on Caroline's stocking-clad legs. She hadn't washed the day off of herself yet, just stewing in bed in her work clothes until she felt up to looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Val told me about your conversation yesterday," Bonnie continued. "So that's two reports of you freaking out that I've received."

"I'm allowed to freak out. It's a fundamental part of my personality."

"And I'm allowed to worry about you freaking out, because that's a fundamental part of our friendship."

"You know that's super freaking unhealthy, right?"

"I will not take lectures on dysfunction from a literal dead woman." Bonnie turned to face Caroline better, lying on her side. "Ric said that your problems are over for now."

Caroline looked past Bonnie to where her toes were twitching under the nylon that encased them. "I guess they are," she said. "I just don't feel like it's resolved."

"Well, if we were turning a profit and making those funds ourselves, you'd feel better. But just because you're not producing the money doesn't mean it's not there to use. And I know you'll be smart about making it last until we get our feet back under us again. It's not a solution, it's just a placeholder. You're still going to fix this, I'm sure."

"What if I don't?" Caroline asked, voice small. "What if this is just … a problem we'll face forever? There won't be a mystery benefactor every time."

"We don't need mystery benefactors, Care. We've got you."

Caroline chuckled. "Your wife said the same thing, essentially."

"That's because she's smart." Bonnie smiled fondly, something she did a lot when they were talking about Valerie. "Look, Care. I trust you to do everything that can be done. And if there's nothing to be done, that's not your fault. I love you, and I trust you. We're all in this together, and we can get through it together."

Caroline found her eyes welling up with tears again. Damn, she was far too emotional lately. "I know," she said, covering Bonnie's hand with hers. "After everything we've faced, I don't know why this is so scary. But it is."

"That's okay." Bonnie squeezed her hand. "Let's be scared together."

* * *

Rhodey pulled himself up into the cab, sliding along so the driver could fold up his chair and set it beside him.

The driver finally settled in up front, starting the meter. "Where to?" he asked, meeting Rhodey's gaze through the rearview mirror.

"Virginia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be around in a bit. Feedback makes the writing go faster!


	4. Destroy the Middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

#  _ Destroy the Middle _

 

 

Caroline knew for a fact that they weren't expecting any cars that morning. There were no deliveries due, no visitors coming, and all the staff was accounted for and busy working already.

So when a taxi van pulled up at the gate, unloading a man and his wheelchair, Caroline was, admittedly, surprised.

When the van pulled away, leaving the man on the wrong side of the closed gate, it became clear that the Armory was his destination. Caroline was up on the second level, looking out the window of her study as he struggled to navigate the chair over the gravel and reach up to open the gate.

Caroline sped downstairs, grabbing her coat as she went. She made sure to jog at human speed up the gravel driveway, which was impressive in her heels, so she reached the gate much more slowly than she'd have wanted.

"Hi, there!" she greeted, using her hand as a visor to keep out the late morning sun that was glaring down. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey," the man replied. "Is this the boarding school?"

"The Salvatore Boarding School for Gifted Children," Caroline confirmed. They were well known in the area, though none of the humans knew just how  _gifted_ the children were. She unlatched the gate, swinging it open. With the barrier between them removed, she asked, "How can I help you today?"

The man scrutinised her, swallowing. "I was hoping to get a tour, actually."

"Are you a parent?"

He nodded. "Uh, yeah. I was hoping to see about sending my kids here. I know it's a bit unorthodox to just turn up, but—"

"Oh, no, that's fine," Caroline dismissed. She couldn't be sure that he knew of the exact nature of the school, but she had to maintain the appearance of a preppy private school in any case. She stuck her hand out. "I'm Caroline Forbes-Salvatore. I'm one of the Co-Heads of the school here."

The man took her hand, shaking it firmly. "I'm Jim. Jim Rodney." Jim released her grip, trying to navigate the wheelchair over the gravel, but the wheels spun stubbornly.

"Mind if I help?" Caroline asked, taking his nod as acceptance and walking behind the chair, gripping the handles.

They managed to make it to the paved area at the front of the building. She'd had it altered to be wheelchair accessible via a ramp up the side when they first started up, but people didn't usually arrive in their chairs at the gate, instead coming from the carpark. Caroline flicked a few pieces of gravel out of the spokes where they'd gotten stuck, then stepped back while Jim wheeled the chair up the ramp.

"So," said Caroline, holding the door open for him to wheel through. "I can give you a tour of most of our levels, with the exception of the dormitories. We like to keep that space for the kids and staff only. I'm sure you understand."

"No, yeah, of course. Makes sense. Do you mind if we, uh, sit and talk for a bit?"

Caroline was tempted to make a joke about him always sitting and talking, given the wheelchair. Thank god for self control, because she did not need to be putting her foot in it again. "Sure! We can head to my office, if you want?" Even as she spoke she tried to rack her brain for a memory as to the state of her office, whether it was a mess or somewhat presentable. "One of the libraries might be free, if you'd prefer—"

"Office sounds good."

_Shit._ "Okay, let's go."

* * *

Her office wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. There were papers scattered all across her desk, but they were easily shuffled and put to the side. At least she'd emptied the small trash can of tissues after her last crying fest.

"And here's where the magic happens," Caroline said once they were seated. God, that was a bad thing to say. She was a bit off her game, given everything. "So, Mr. Rodney—"

"Please, call me Jim."

"Jim," she began again. "How many kids do you have?"

"Just, uh, just the one. A boy."

Caroline smiled. "That's lovely. I have two girls here, myself."

Jim raised his eyebrows. "Oh, they attend here?"

"They sure do. Only recently started classes, given that they're only six. But yeah, they're really enjoying it. The … diverse range of kids we cater to here is really beneficial for them."

Jim's frown was there and gone in a second. "What do you mean by that?"

_Oh, you know, the usual. Racially, sexually, ethnically, magically diverse children that need to be watched at all times to make sure they don't burn the place down. And that's just the staff._  "We do our best to be as inclusive as possible, and to foster an environment where kids of all kinds can thrive." Of course, if Jim wasn't magical, this was definitely coming off weird. "The school basically does what it says on the tin. A great place for gifted children to receive an education that's tailored to them and their … peculiarities. Would you mind telling my more about your son, Jim?"

"He's … gifted. Real smart. Has a hard time keeping up in class."

It was becoming more and more apparent that Jim really didn't know the actual purpose of this school. "That sounds really stressful for you both. How old is he?"

"Twelve."

"A difficult age, especially academically," Caroline acknowledged.

"Yeah, definitely. Would you, uh, would you mind telling me more about your role here? What the school situation is like, how it works for you and your kids—"

"Oh, of course." It wasn't unusual for anxious parents to want anecdotal evidence as to the school's effectiveness, especially once they heard that her kids attended it too. "I started this school with my partner, Alaric, when our girls were three. It'll have been three years since we started this August, and it's been going pretty well, all told. We've had a steady increase in attendance numbers, and we've managed to maintain a twenty-to-one ratio of students to staff members. We don't maintain much of a split between middle school and high school, finding it more helpful to mix ages and abilities. Our kids are pretty advanced in a lot of ways and have all kinds of extracurricular interests and activities, so we have a pretty busy schedule for it all, all told. But we're making it work."  _Just in every way except financially._

"It sounds pretty great," Jim acknowledged, but there was something lurking behind his tone. "And you and your partner, you started the school because your girls needed it?"

_You could say that._ "It was becoming pretty apparent to us that the girls weren't going to fit in a mainstream school setting, and we felt like that was a reality a lot of parents were facing. Ric was a teacher, then a college professor, and I had admin experience running a television station when I was younger. We figured between us we could make things work, so we did."

"And the twins find this beneficial?"

"Absolutely. They actually—"  _Hang on._ "I never said they were twins."

Jim frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"I never mentioned that my daughters were twins. How did you know that?"

Jim's heartbeat began hammering. "You—you must've mentioned it, I—"

"How did you know about this school?" Caroline demanded, fighting the instinct to lean over the desk and compel him right then and there. "We don't advertise anywhere. We don't even have a sign out front, just one by the building where you can only see it if you've come onto the property. How did you know we were here?"

"Ah, a friend mentioned it to me, I don't really—"

"A friend, huh?" Caroline scoffed. "Then why do you seem to know nothing about what we're actually here for?"

Jim raised his hands defensively. "That's what I came here to ask! I just wanted to figure some things out for my kid—"

"Your kid? And what's his name?"

"Uh, Tony." His face soured, apparently regretting the name choice. Because it was definitely a choice on the spot, and there was no way this man was what he said he was.

Forcing herself to calm, to keep her fangs planted firmly in her gums, Caroline said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Mr. Rodney. Right now." She got to her feet. "Otherwise I'll have to find security." It was best that she didn't manhandle him herself. Jeremy was here to teach gym today, and he'd be more than happy to do it for her.

"Just, wait, please—"

"Unless you can offer me a valid explanation for why you knew to come here, why you knew I had twin daughters, and why you lied to me since the moment you got here, we're very much done, Mr. Rodney."

"I'll explain," he promised. "I'll explain everything. Just, please, give me the chance."

She didn't want to give him any chances, truth be told. He was a potential threat, and she wanted him gone.

But she was trying to be more reasonable, to set a better example for her kids than the usual high-pitched shrieking and rash decisions that typified her life and personality.

Sinking back into her chair, Caroline took a deep breath, feeling the air cool her hot gums, calming her fangs. "You have two minutes."

* * *

It was safe to say that things weren't going so well so far. Rhodey had thought it would be fine, but Caroline was sharper than he'd anticipated (which was his fault, really, given who her biological father most likely was). And the comment about her twins was colossally stupid on his part.

Oddly enough, he hadn't been able to see the Tony in her until she got angry. Before that, she was all Liz, wheat-coloured hair and soft jaw, which wicked blue eyes that were all her own (or, weirdly, like Maria's). But once she started spitting fire, he could see the resemblance.

"You have two minutes," she said, eyes blazing.

He'd best make the most of them, then.

"I'm not a parent," he admitted. "My name is Colonel James Rhodes, and I'm an old friend of Tony Stark. I'm sure you know who he is."

"Obviously." A beat. "I don't suppose Tony Stark is down half a million dollars recently."

"Uh, I don't know. Why?"

"Because that's how much was deposited in our account out of the blue yesterday. I haven't been able to find out where it came from. And now you come here talking about one of the richest men in the country, so I put two and two together."

Rhodey snorted. "Yeah, that was probably him."

"Why? What interest could Tony Stark have in a private school our size?"

_Here goes._ "It's actually not an interest in the school, per se. It's an interest in you."

Her gaze hardened even more, if that was possible. "In me?"

"He, uh …" Rhodey rubbed the back of his neck, finding it hot. This really wasn't how this conversation should be had, but Tony needed this. He needed to take this chance. If he chose never to speak to Rhodey again, then so be it. "He knew your mother, actually. A long time ago."

"I think my mother would've mentioned knowing Tony Freaking Stark," Caroline scoffed.

"She didn't really want to think about him, I guess."

"How could my mother possibly have met Tony Stark? They don't exactly run in the same circles."

"Well, you know that she attended the police academy in New York. She and Tony met there, just a couple years after he graduated from MIT and moved to the city."

Caroline appeared skeptical. "So my mom's old friend, Tony Stark, decided to donate money to this school because, what? He was feeling nostalgic? If they were so close, where the fuck was he when she was dying right in front of me?"

Rhodey winced. "Your mom and Tony, they were … complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Complicated like, involved."

Falling forward onto her desk, Caroline caught herself on her elbows, burying her face into her hands. "I … I can't believe this. No way."

"It gets worse, believe me."

She looked up, eyes glazed. "Worse how?"

"Worse like, she and Tony got together one last time in February 1992."

All colour drained from her face. "Mom was married then."

"Yeah."

"And I was born in October."

" _Yeah."_

"Fuck."

* * *

Tony cracked an eye open to find blazing sun streaming through his bedroom window. Groaning, he shifted over, checking the time on his phone.

_1:42pm._

Cursing, he looked around to see if a glass of water had miraculously appeared while he was sleeping off the scotch. The fact that it hadn't was proof positive that Rhodey really had left.

Stumbling to the kitchen, Tony drank directly from the tap. He'd be lying if he said he enjoyed the absence of Pepper's voice telling him off for it.

Thirst quenched, Tony went in search of aspirin, chewing them instead of taking them with water. He proceeded to order twice as much pizza as he could eat, knowing full well that he'd devour the cold leftovers over the next few days. He still had more research to do on Caroline, after all. Maybe he should set up some sort of software to monitor her, alerting him if she was in trouble so he could get it seen to. That was rational, wasn't it?

He dozed on the sofa while waiting for the pizza to arrive, in and out as the light flickered through the amber crystal chandelier his mother had installed just prior to her death.

When it did arrive, Tony was barely coherent. He'd already paid online, so he took the boxes, confident that the lack of grooming of his beard would conceal his identity from the pimpled pizza boy, who squeaked his thanks and retreated back to his car.

Tony had downed a whole pizza before he started to feel even remotely alive again. As he picked his way through the next, he wondered how long it would take for Happy to show up. Rhodey had said he had three days, but chances were he and Happy would be gossipping as soon as Rhodes returned to New York.

"FRIDAY," Tony said through a mouthful of pizza. "Is Rhodes in New York yet?"

" _No, boss."_

"How close is he?"

" _Colonel Rhodes appears to be in Virginia, sir."_

Tony sat up straighter, dread settling into his gut. "Where in Virginia?" he barked.

" _Several miles outside of Mystic Falls, boss."_

Tony swore, already standing up. The world spun, forcing him back onto the sofa. Taking several deep breaths, he tried again, stumbling blindly down the hall. "Send me a suit, FRIDAY," he called back over his shoulder.

" _Yes, boss."_

* * *

Caroline was going to be sick.

"How …" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "How has this only come up now? He only cared enough to donate to the school now, when we're on our last legs, not when we were starting out, not when we started having problems. He didn't even call me when Mom died—"

"He didn't know," said Rhodes. "I swear, he didn't. He just found out the other day. I mean, we don't know for sure, but he seemed pretty confident that your mom and Bill weren't really—well …"

"Sleeping together? Yeah, I know." Bill had been as gay as the day was long, and that had never really been a secret. "And why are you telling me all this? Where the fuck is he?"

"He doesn't think you need him in your life."

So that was where she inherited her martyr complex from, apparently. "He doesn't want to do a paternity test or anything? He's just throwing money at the problem and checking out, sending his friends to do things for him—"

"He doesn't know I'm here. I'm sure he will soon, but he doesn't know yet. And he donated the money because you needed it. He paid off your student loans, too."

Caroline's blood boiled. "I didn't ask him to do that."

"I know you didn't. And he wasn't going to give you the chance to ask for anything. He convinced himself that you wouldn't want to see him, wouldn't want him ruining your life."

"Ruining how? He's a billionaire superhero." There was all the Sokovia Accords stuff, but really, she may not agree with what he did, but she couldn't  _disagree_ , either. And she doubted she had all the information to start with.

"Tony's got problems, as I'm sure you've heard."

"The girls and the booze. But I thought that was over? He was with his secretary or whatever." She was definitely pretending to have less information than she did there. She knew damn well who Pepper Potts was—she just wasn't really interested in revealing her obsession.

"She was his secretary, but she's the CEO of his company now. And they're not together anymore."

Well, that definitely hadn't been in the press yet. Privileged information, she guessed. "So, what exactly are you here to achieve?"

"Tony thinks that you don't want anything to do with him. I'm here to see if he's right."

"How could I know if I want him in my life? I haven't even met him."

"Do you want to?"

Caroline was getting more and more agitated, her blood pounding, itching under her skin. "He obviously doesn't want to meet me."

"Contrary to popular belief, Tony doesn't do what he wants, Caroline. He does what he thinks is best, what he thinks is wanted. But he's a damn arrogant bastard, too, so he's more than happy to assume he knows what is best, and what is wanted. So I guess the question is whether or not you want to prove him wrong."

"How can I know that? I don't—" Caroline broke off. She could feel a lump forming in her throat, tears pressing at the backs of her eyes. How embarrassing. "I don't have the best track record with fathers. I don't even know if he is mine. We'd need to take some kind of a test—" But there was no way she could let her sample be taken by someone else. Maybe she could ask Elena to do it, just to make sure her genetic material didn't get in the wrong hands … But she was getting ahead of herself. "I'm so busy here, Rhodes. I have a life, I have kids, I have a job that isn't getting any easier. I don't have time to devote to exploring this."

Rhodes didn't seem happy, but he swallowed it down. "And if that's how you really feel, then that's okay. I don't want you to end up anywhere you don't want to be." He took a small notebook out of his pocket, grabbing a pen from the tin on her desk. He scribbled something down quickly, then tore a page out and passed it to her.

"A phone number," Caroline said numbly, looking down at the paper.

"It's Tony's, in case you change your mind. And, here—" He pulled a card from his pocket, passing that to her as well. "This is my card. My number's just there. If you want to contact either of us, for anything, you can."

Caroline looked at the two pieces of paper, one in either hand, certain she was having an out of body experience. And not the good kind. "I—I don't know that I will."

"And that's okay. I just wanna make sure that things here are what everyone's comfortable with, not just what Tony decides should happen because he's a born martyr."

Caroline actually had to fight the urge to laugh at that. Maybe no paternity test was necessary, after all. "Thank you for trying, Rhodes. But I really don't have time for this."

His smile was limp, but it was an effort. "Thank you for hearing me out."

"Well, you went to all the trouble of pretending to be an interested parent to get in here, so I figured it was the least I could do." She sniffed, sure she was going to start crying soon. Honestly, her vamp hormones were all over the place lately. It was like she needed a good cry on a daily basis. "Would you like me to call you a cab, or an Uber?"

"Either is fine. I've had to learn to become flexible lately."

So his injury was recent, then. Caroline picked up her phone, already dialling. Nice as he was, she really needed him gone. No way did she need an audience for the freak out she could feel coming on.

* * *

Caroline didn't have time to panic for the rest of the afternoon. She sent Rhodes away (he asked her to call him 'Rhodey', but she didn't think she'd be spending enough time with him for that request to become relevant), then spent the remainder of the time before dinner dealing with an incident in one of Valerie's magic classes.

By the time dinner wound down and the kids were sent to shower, Caroline was well and truly ready to break down. But she was on duty in the girls' shower block, supposed to help the younger ones with anything they needed, and the twins were especially clingy that night, so she spent a good hour in their room, singing them to sleep.

Her throat was sore from singing when she finally returned to her room. She fished a blood bag out of the refrigerator hidden in her closet and downed it in under a minute, grabbing another immediately after. She usually limited herself to a bag a day, but it had been a two bag day.

Part of her had always wondered about her parents' relationship. They'd never been particularly affectionate, nor even friendly. She didn't understand why it had taken thirteen years for Bill to leave her mother—at least, not until she had become a parent herself. He hadn't wanted to walk out on her, and then he'd done it anyway. She guessed he'd probably given up on sticking it out.

Co-parenting hadn't exactly been epic, either. Bill had been enamoured with Stephen and his kids, Caroline quickly falling to the wayside in favour of his new family. She came with baggage (namely, her mother), and Bill evidently didn't want to deal with that.

Then there was the whole vampire thing, but that came later. He'd checked out long before Katherine decided to turn Caroline into her fanged little pet.

It made sense that she had a different father, in a way. It wasn't that Bill couldn't perform (she shuddered to think about her parents in that way), but more that she'd never seen any indication that the two of them were interested in each other. They stuck it out for her sake, until the day came when they didn't. They certainly didn't do it for each other.

If Stark really had gotten with her mom way back when, if she really was a result of that … well, it changed everything. For her, for the school, for the girls. Tony was right to acknowledge that being his kid would change her life. He was a superhero; she was a headmistress. If things went public, if she and the girls got hounded by the press … there was only so much they could do to hide their more magical selves from the public eye.

This was not going to end well.

* * *

Rhodey dozed on the way back, stuck between his folded chair and the hard plastic of the cab door.

He slumbered on, until he very suddenly didn't.

The car screeched to a halt, jerking him awake. The cab driver was cursing loudly, beeping the horn.

Rhodey leaned across the middle of the vehicle, trying to peer out into the darkness.

An unmistakeable sight greeted him.

There, in the middle of the road, stood Iron Man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be coming soon.


	5. It's a Waste of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I've been pretty sick. 
> 
> Thank you so much for the phenomenal response to this. The comments definitely spur me on, so keep them coming!

 

 

CHAPTER FIVE

 

#  _ It’s a Waste of Time _

 

Tony was no stranger to dramatic confrontations with friends, and that was putting it lightly. After everything that had happened with Cap and Bucky … well, he was used to it.

But this was different, not just because it was Rhodey, but because of what happened with Cap and Bucky. Because of what went down in Siberia, Tony didn't have a lot of patience for bullshit and lies.

"You want to tell me what the fuck you think you're doing, Rhodes?" he asked, tone chilly.

Rhodey shifted into his wheelchair, waving the Uber driver away. "Just … pull over there, off the road," Rhodey told him. "I'll be back in a second."

The driver glanced nervously between Tony and Rhodey. "I'm still charging you for this, man—"

"Just leave us alone," Tony snapped, watching the driver scramble to do just that, hopping into the car and pulling it over on the side of the road.

Left alone, Tony and Rhodey faced each other down on the middle of the road, Rhodey in his chair and Tony fully suited up but for his faceplate.

"What the fuck, Rhodes?" he repeated. "Tell me you weren't just where I think you were."

"You know the answer to that, or you wouldn't be here."

"I'm giving you a chance to tell me I'm wrong. To tell me you didn't turn around and stab me in the back—"

"Don't be so dramatic, Tone. I did this to help you."

"You did this to get me off your back. You did this so there was someone else to look out for me so you wouldn't have to worry anymore." Tony knew it wasn't true, but he couldn't stop the words once they started. "You did this because you don't give a damn about what I think, or what I say."

"Tony, I'm sorry, I am. I just don't want to see you throw away your chance at having a family again. That's not fair, dude. And I know it's not what you really want—"

"Oh, you do, huh? You know what I want?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Then what do I want right now?"

"I—Tony, please, just calm down—"

A car came speeding up, slowing to a halt when it saw them. The driver beeped their horn, but Tony motioned for them to go around. The driver flipped him the finger as they did.

"I want you to get in that car, Rhodes," said Tony, voice raw and harsh. "I want you to get in the car, and drive away, and not come back to my door. I want you to get it into your head that I don't want your help. I don't need your help. And I sure as all hell don't need you interfering in my life like you're my goddamn keeper."

Rhodey looked taken aback for only a moment, schooling his expression into one of acceptance. "Okay," he said, but Tony could tell he was hurt. "I'll get going. But you should know that I gave her your number and left it up to her whether or not to call. If she does, I hope you're sober enough to treat her a little better."

And he wheeled away, rumbling across the pavement as he made his way toward the car.

Slamming his faceplate down, Tony launched into the air, determined to fly as far away as possible.

* * *

 

A knock at the door.

"Caroline?" Alaric.

Another.

"Hey, I know you're in there. Bonnie did a locator spell."

Caroline stifled a groan, hoping he'd just go away. Unfortunately boundaries weren't a thing (and that was mostly her fault), so he walked right in when she didn't respond to his next round of knocking.

He paused in the entryway, sighing, then dropped to his knees so she could see him better. "Under the bed?" he asked. "Really?"

Caroline turned away to look up at the bare side of her mattress. "It helps me think."

"Shove over."

Caroline shuffled over to make room for Ric, who slid in beside her and looped his hands under his head, staring up at the pattern on the mattress like he was stargazing.

After a moment, he said, "You know this is weird, right?"

"You know I don't care, right?"

He shifted around to face her. "What's going on?"

"What makes you think something's going on?"

"You're literally hiding under your bed. What happened?"

"Nothing happened." It was the truth, if she wanted it to be. If she said it was nothing, it was nothing. She was the one with the phone numbers in her pockets. She was the one with the power to make this something.

"Are you sure it was nothing? It seems like it was something."

"Nothing more than the usual," Caroline replied. "Stress over money stuff."

"Well, our financial problems aren't really pressing at the moment."

Right, the donation. She'd genuinely forgotten about that, a little more fixated on the who and the why of the donation than its actual existence as the solution to all of their problems. "Uh, yeah. I know. But it's only a temporary solution." Until the next time the man that might be her father decided to donate half a million dollars to her school.

"Try not to worry about it so much," Ric advised. "We'll all figure it out. Together."

Caroline turned to face him. "Yeah, yeah. I know we will."

"You don't seem convinced."

"Of course I am. I'm wearing a very convinced look on my face. You just can't see it because we're hiding under the bed."

"Do you think we should maybe hop out from under the bed, then? Just to avoid confusion."

Caroline rolled over to lie on her back, her fingers steepled over her belly. "Just a few more minutes."

"Well, you have three before dinner gets under way. I shudder to think what would happen if you weren't there to keep things in order." He patted her hand, then tried to commando crawl out from under the bed. He groaned with the effort, his knees cracking as he stood up. "I'm definitely too old for this," he said, making his way out.

* * *

 

Caroline had grown up in the police precinct. After Bill left, her mother didn't exactly rush to adjust her work schedule to cater to her new life as a single parent, so Caroline spent most of her nights either staying with Bonnie and Elena or reclining on the dingy old sofa in the Mystic Falls PD's break room. Officer McNeal used to clear half his desk off just for her to do her homework in the quietest corner of the precinct.

Now, her relationship with the precinct was a little different. She still parked in the spots usually reserved for squad cars, confident that no one would mind. She still knew their regular shift patterns, knew who'd be around when. And a part of her still always looked for her mom in the sheriff's office, always briefly disappointed to find Matt instead.

That day, he took the disappointment on her face like a champ, as always. It was just nearing 8pm and she knew he wouldn't have left yet. He and Jer lived together in town, his boyfriend commuting to the school on the days when he had gym classes to run, and Caroline knew that Jer wasn't overly fond of Matt's working hours.

"Hey, you," she greeted, stepping from the relative darkness of the rest of the precinct and into the bright, lamp-lit space of Matt's office. There were one or two squad cars on patrol, but other than that they kept the precinct largely uninhabited at night time, not needing as many boots on the ground once the sun went down. It was Mystic Falls, after all.

Matt pushed back from the desk, his office chair rolling even after he'd stood up and left it. He pulled off his reading glasses (a recent addition for Caroline to tease him about) and ducked around the desk to enfold her in a hug.

"Hey," he replied, releasing her. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline wound her fingers around her purse strap, gripping it tightly. "I wanted to talk to you about something. In confidence. I figured this was the best way to catch you." She glanced at his desk. "Do you have a sec?"

"For you, I might even have ten," he replied, leaning over to click his lamp off. "Let's go raid the fridge."

They made their way to the break room, Matt flicking the light switch. The fluorescent lights blinked on and off before stabilising, revealing the small, almost claustrophobia-inducing space with a single fridge-freezer combo, about two square feet of bench (which was occupied by a coffee machine) and a single sink. Matt motioned for her to sit down at the small table, chipped at the corners.

Going through the fridge, Matt pulled out a cold pizza and some soda (no alcohol on the premises, unfortunately). He cracked open the cans and set them down with the box, not bothering to find plates as he just flicked the lid open to reveal six pieces of what looked and smelled like garlic pizza.

"So," he said, tearing off three of the pieces and pushing them toward her side of the box, "what can I do for you?"

"I was looking for some advice."

"The kind of advice I need my badge for, or—"

"Friend advice, I think."

"Okay, okay. What's been going on?"

The thing about Matt was that he was a crazy good listener. The kind of listener that acted interested because he was, and nodded at all the important parts, interjecting with careful questions when necessary. He didn't just endure being talked at; he participated in her story, listening to her recount of Rhodey's visit from beginning to end.

"It would make sense," he said once she finally finished rambling, not even a crust of pizza left between them. "I mean, your mom did do her training at the New York academy. She could've met him there, gotten together. And your dad was closeted, but that doesn't mean he was performing. They may have had an arrangement."

"I don't think mom knew he was gay, though. She seemed shocked when he got with Stephen."

"And she wouldn't have been shocked if the person he left her for was a Stephanie?"

"Good point," Caroline allowed, downing the final dregs of her soda.

"So did you want my advice on your dad and whether or not you think he was—you know, with your mom? Because I'm bi, so I don't really have a great grasp on compulsory heterosexuality and how it affects gay men as opposed to bi ones. Also, I hadn't been born when this all supposedly went down." He says all of this matter-of-factly, almost tonelessly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not asking that. To be honest, I don't really want to know what Mom and Dad got up to. I actually wanted your advice on stuff with Tony. Like, connecting with him and stuff. Things with you and your dad seem to be going pretty well, from what I understand, so I figured you might have some insight."

Matt nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "You want to know if it's worth it."

"Kinda, yeah. And I know it's not the exact situation, but I was hoping that you could at least give me some guidance. You and your dad didn't talk for years, you know, so it's kinda similar."

"Well, things with Dad were kind of influenced by the whole hell thing, Mom and Vicki coming back from the dead and then dying again, you know, the usual around here. And you and Tony wouldn't have that."

"True."

"And you also don't know for sure that he's your father. Can vampires even take paternity tests? Like, would your saliva still share genes or whatever with him?"

"I'd have to ask Elena, but I was hoping to avoid that unless I decided to go ahead with it." Elena was a little overeager, and Caroline knew she'd never stop pestering her about connecting with Tony if she mentioned it.

Matt seemed to accept that as the right decision. "So, there's that uncertainty, and I'm sure you don't want to compel him to overlook any abnormalities or whatever. So that's something to consider."

"Agreed. But what about stuff with your dad? How did reconnecting go for you guys after everything that happened?"

"It wasn't easy. He did abandon me, and I was definitely bitter about that, so that wasn't exactly great. But we got past that, and it's also something you won't have to get past because he didn't even know you existed."

"Fair point. But he has chosen to ignore me."

"Yeah, but you said Rhodes said that was because he thought you'd be better off."

"That doesn't make it less douchey."

"I agree, but it's good to note that my dad left because he thought he'd be better off without me, not the other way around. He is trying to think of you, however badly that's going."

"I guess." Caroline sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's just so hard to even think about. Like, what would that look like? Being Tony Stark's kid? How would I even begin to manage my life with him in it? I have so many responsibilities already, Matt. I'm stretched thin enough to snap. How do I make room for a relationship that needs so much time and effort to flourish?"

"They're all good questions," Matt acknowledged. "But the most important question is whether or not you want to try. Because I think we both know that you can figure this out if you put your mind to it. You just have to care enough to try. So, do you care?"

"Yes," she said, without hesitation. "But I'm scared that it's for the wrong reasons."

"Reasons like what?"

"Well, for one, he's loaded, and the school has been struggling financially. He donated half a million dollars to us, just like that. If I have his number, if we're in contact, I can ask him for more money whenever. We wouldn't have to worry, because Tony Stark would just shell it out. And that would almost be worth everything else, because the kids would benefit. We all would. Then there's also the fact that he knows a side of my mom that I don't, and I'm pretty much desperate for any way to connect to her."

"They're good points, Care. And honestly, if you wanted to do this for those reasons only, I'd be in full support."

"But they're not good reasons, Matt. They're selfish and stupid and they ruin any chance at having a functional relationship. It can't be about that. I can't let it be about that."

Matt leaned across the table, covering one of her hands with his. "If it was, that doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you someone who's trying to build a school for kids that need it, and someone who misses her mom. They're fundamental parts of who you are, Care. And they can be parts of why you do this."

"I don't want to use him."

Matt chuckled. "Care, why did you come here tonight?"

"To get advice."

"Why from me?"

"Because you're—you're in the best position to give it, I guess."

"So you're using me for advice and comfort."

Caroline winced. "Yeah, I guess."

"And you know what? I don't care. I'm glad that you came here to use me for that, because I love you, and I'm here to be used. And I know that if I was in your shoes, you'd be right here, ready for me to use you too."

Blinking back her tears, Caroline said, "You'd hate my shoes. They're very uncomfortable."

"That is so not the point I'm making here."

"I know, I know." Caroline sniffed. "I just … I just wish I knew what would work here. I wish there were rules."

"The only rule is to listen to yourself, to what you want, to what you need. And go with that." He patted her hand, withdrawing. "We've all got your back, no matter what."

"Thank you." Caroline wiped at her tears with her sleeve. "And you can use me anytime, too."

Matt grinned. "I don't know that my boyfriend would like that."

"I'm your boyfriend's boss, so he can bite me."

"That's more your style," Matt said, standing and collecting their empty soda cans. Each of them landed in the trash on the other side of the room. "I'm gonna lock up. Mind taking the pizza box to the trash outside?"

"Sure," she said, grabbing the empty box and untucking the sides to make it lie flat. "Meet you out there."

* * *

 

She waited for him outside, leaning against the hood of her car. He pulled her into a wordless hug.

"I'm here if you need to talk," he promised. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"You're always helpful, Donovan," she replied, giving him one last squeeze before pulling away. "Give Jer a kiss for me."

"Will do."

Caroline pulled up around the side of the Armory, sliding into her usual spot. She turned the car off, sitting in darkness for a moment.

Matt may not have had all the answers, but he tended to help her figure out the right questions. She was an answer person by nature, so the answer came to her as it inevitably did once she'd found the right question.

The most important question is whether or not you want to try.

The answer, of course, was yes.

She picked up the phone and dialled.

* * *

 

Tony didn't drink when he finally arrived back at the Tower. He greeted FRIDAY with the usual questions about the security and how it had fared while he was out, strolling through the machine that dissembled his suit for him. He wanted a drink, sure, but he decided against it. He was too angry to drink responsibly.

Not that he usually drank responsibly, if he was being totally honest.

He went straight to his workshop instead, finding it in just as much of a mess as it had been when he'd left it. It was the one area of the Tower off-limits to the cleaners that came in once a week, and he was grateful for that. He liked to know exactly where he left things.

For the first time in a long time, Tony walked into his workshop with no idea of what he wanted to do.

He sat down in the middle of the wreckage that was his last project, something to streamline the suit design for Mark XXXI, and had no idea what to do with any of it. Could engineers get writers' block? Because that was what this felt like.

He sat there, surrounded by his latest obsession, mind entirely blank.

She hadn't called. If she'd wanted to meet him, she would've called. But she hadn't, so she didn't, so it was over.

The one thing Tony hadn't been willing to admit to Rhodey, barely willing to admit it to himself, was that he wasn't afraid that Caroline would call him, would let him into her life to ruin it.

He'd been afraid she wouldn't let him in at all. He'd been afraid to give her the choice, to watch her turn away. He'd been so afraid.

Tony shot to his feet, kicking a piece of scrap metal away. It was satisfying, so he did it again and again, finding more and more tools strewn about, spanners and hammers that bruised his sock-clad toes when he made impact. But he kept on, and on, kicking until he was panting and leaning against one of the benches, gasping for air.

"Boss?"

"What?" he barked.

"There's a call for you coming in on Line 1."

"If it's Rhodey, tell him to fuck off."

"Actually, boss, it's Caroline. Caroline Forbes-Salvatore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end on a cliffhanger, but I'm getting right on the next chapter and hope to have it available ASAP. Let me know what you thought!


	6. From the Perfect Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kind comments, and for sticking with me so far! Things are amping up in the next few chapters, so I hope you guys like it!

CHAPTER SIX

 

#  _From the Perfect Start_

 

 

 

The feminine, oddly robotic voice that answered her call had thrown Caroline for a loop, but it reassured her that it would fetch "Mr. Stark" promptly.

What ensued was the most nerve-wracking sixty seconds of Caroline's entire life. If asked, she'd say that she spent that time at her desk. In reality, she spent it  _under_  her desk, hiding from the world in the dark and winding a spiderweb around her finger.

A click, and then there was a voice on the other end. " _Hello?"_

"Um, hi. It's Caroline. Caroline Forbes. Well, Forbes-Salvatore."  _Stop rambling, you're only giving your name._  "I, uh, I talked to your friend, James Rhodes. He gave me your number."

" _Yeah, he mentioned that."_ The voice sounded almost out of breath.

Silence.

" _How—how are you?"_

"I'm good," Caroline was quick to respond. "I, um, I'm sorry it took me so long to call. I've been pretty swamped with work, so …"

" _No, yeah, me too. Busy lives, busy … times."_

Awkward silence.

If anything was going to happen, she'd have to take charge of it. "Look, I was thinking that maybe we should meet up for dinner sometime. I don't know when I'll be able to get out, but I can try and figure something out. I feel like we should probably talk, y'know, face to face."

" _Totally agree,"_ said Tony. " _We've got lots of … stuff to go over."_

"So, um, you're in New York now, right? That's where your tower is."

" _Yeah, I'm there. But I can travel to you if you want—"_

"No, no, that's fine," she insisted. No way could he visit her here, surrounded by magical children and the kinds of wards that would definitely make him ask questions. "I can come to you. I'll see what I can do about rearranging my calendar and get back to you, if that's okay."

" _I'm free whenever, and if I'm not, I'll make myself free."_

"Okay, well, thanks for that." Caroline tapped a finger on her knee to the tempo of her racing heart. "I'll come and stay in New York for a couple of days, see if we can't figure some stuff out."

" _That sounds good. Smart. Yeah."_

Ordinarily, she might have made some smart comment about how eloquent he was being, but she was self aware enough to know that she wasn't doing any better. "So I'll talk to you in a little while, I guess. I'll let you know when I'll arrive and stuff."

" _Thank you. I—I, um, I'll look forward to that."_

"Me too." It was true, she realised. She hadn't expected it to be.

Silence reigned again.

" _I'm, uh …"_ He cleared his throat. " _I'm sorry I didn't get into contact with you personally. I should've done that, but I … I don't really have an excuse."_

Caroline nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "I forgive you." She hesitated. "I—I should go. I have a lot of work to do if I'm going to shuffle things around."

" _Yeah, no, me too. Just … call or text me with the details of your visit, and I'll book us a table somewhere private for dinner. Do you like shawarma?"_

"Never tried it, but I'm happy to."

" _Okay, I know a place, so I'll see what I can arrange. I'll, um, I'll see you soon."_

"Yeah, see you soon."

There was a moment of silence once more before Caroline finally gave in and pressed the button to hang up.

Dropping her phone in her lap, she groaned, leaning against the wood at her back.

She'd known it wouldn't be easy. She just hadn't counted on it being this hard.

* * *

Tony stood stock still, leaning against the bench. The wreckage of his workshop was strewn around him, mocking him. The source of his anger had fled, leaving him with the reality:

He was going to meet his daughter.

If she was his daughter, that is.

Fuck, he had some preparing to do.

"FRIDAY, get Happy on the line."

* * *

Caroline clacked along the hall, students flowing around her like water breaking over a pebble in a stream. A few threw "Hello!"s at her, a few more stopping to ask her questions about the upcoming dance. Some of the kids, having been ostracised while attending human schools, were nervous at the prospect of dances and public events at the school, so Caroline took extra care to push past her own dramas and quell their fears.

"I tell you what," she told one boy, a twelve-year-old with braces, an uneven voice, and a habit of making lightbulbs burst when he was anxious. "You should come and sit in on the dance committee this afternoon. I'll be supervising it, but Tillie and Denny are running it, and you can ask them any questions you have." Tillie and Denny, two of the older students, were fairly well-liked among the younger ones.

The boy, Dex, seemed placated, nodding quickly. "Thank you," he said, speech a little short as one of his friends called after him, insisting that he catch up.

"Go on!" Caroline waved him on. "You can't miss recess."

"Thanks, Mrs. S!"

She watched him go, then turned on her heel, almost running over a tiny person in her haste.

"Mommy!" said Lizzie, arms raised.

Sighing, Caroline took Lizzie in her arms. "Elizabeth," she said, a little censure in her tone. "You're supposed to walk to recess with your whole class. Where's Miss Bonnie?" Bonnie had preferred not to take up a position akin to a teacher or professor, as her wife had, instead running the little ones through magical spells. It was probably the most dangerous class they had, if they were being honest.

Lizzie shrugged, tucking her arms around her mother's neck. "I wanted to go see Daddy."

Well, they were standing right outside his classroom. And Lizzie was the least likely of all her classmates to get lost in the Armory, given that she'd lived there full-time for most of her life.

But if the special treatment started now, it would never stop.

Caroline hitched Lizzie higher up to make sure she didn't fall. She was getting too big for cuddles, and Ric could hardly hold her for more than a few minutes, the old man, but Caroline had no such difficulty. "You can't just leave Miss Bonnie's class without permission, Lizzie. She'll be worried about where you are."

Spotting Tillie coming down the hall, clipboard in hand and with her gaggle of friends surrounding her, Caroline waved her down. "Hey, Till," she greeted. "Would you mind walking Lizzie back to Miss Bonnie? They'll either be in their classroom or somewhere on the lower level making their way to the cafeteria."

"Sure, Mrs. S," said Tillie. She held out a hand, and a pouting Lizzie took it as Caroline set her on her feet, righting her skirt as she did so. "Come on, Liz-beth."

Caroline watched them go, Lizzie immediately becoming occupied with Tillie and her friends. They were all New Orleans witches, the few whose parents had opted for them to attend the Armory because their magic was difficult and the Armory was the one place with the wards and supervision to deal with that. Most of them had grown out of it, but chosen to stay anyway.

The population in the hallway dwindled, most kids having drained into the cafeteria by now. Caroline turned on her heel, finding herself standing in the open doorway to Ric's classroom. He was behind his desk, as usual, marking papers or something.

"Hey," she greeted, shutting the door behind her. "Can we talk for a second?"

Ric gave her a wave, capping his pen and dropping it onto his desk. "Yeah, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the tables in front of him.

Caroline rolled her eyes, but did it anyway. She had gotten used to the way it mimicked her time as his student. It wasn't as weird anymore.

"What can I do for you?"

She was tempted to make a crack about asking for an extra credit assignment, but decided against it. It'd just be stalling the actual conversation she had to have with him. "So, I need to tell you a couple … developments that have happened lately."

"Developments that have happened?"

"Shut up,  _Professor_. I'm not going to be perfectly eloquent all the time."

He grinned. "Okay, okay. What's going on?"

"Well, for starters, I figured out where the donation came from."

"Anyone we know?"

"Tony Stark."

Ric snorted. "No way can he know what this school actually does." He paled a little. "Does he?"

"He doesn't, no. He actually donated it because of me."

"Why? Did you two, uh—"

"What? No! God, no." If her words weren't convincing, the full-body shudder was. "But he did … have a thing with my mother. Twenty-six years ago."

"He—but …" She could almost see the cogs turning behind Ric's eyes. Then they widened. "You think—"

"He seems to think so too," Caroline confirmed. "And I … I don't really know what to think."

Ric was silent for a moment, rubbing at his temple. "Are you … okay with this? I mean, it's a bit of a shock. And I know things with Bill were never great."

Well, Ric had stabbed him that one time, but that wasn't strictly his fault. "I don't really know how I feel," she admitted. "But I talked to him last night."

"How did that go?"

"Awkward as hell, but okay. I think."

Ric nodded, processing. "Well, at the risk of sounding like you're not a valuable asset here," he began, "you can probably take a couple days off to sort this out if you need to."

She ignored the way her chest clenched at his instant understanding. "Are you sure? I just—the dance is coming up, and I don't really want to leave you all stranded—"

"Caroline, we're grown ups. We've watched you manage things for long enough to be able to manage them for you for a bit. And you'll be just a phone call away, after all. He lives in New York, yeah?"

"That's where the big-ass tower is, yeah. God, I hope he doesn't expect me to stay with him."

"Hard to hide a bar fridge full of blood bags in someone else's place, huh?" Ric guessed. "I'm sure you can get a room at a hotel, compel the staff to stay away from the refrigerator in your room. You can make it work."

The more he spoke, the more confident she began to feel. "Yeah, you're probably right. I just really don't want to leave the girls, you know?"

"You have daughters, Care, and that's a responsibility. But you also might have a chance to  _be_ a daughter again, and it's okay to balance those two things. The girls will be fine here. If they get too difficult, I can bribe them with a night staying in Bonnie and Valerie's room, just a sleepover for the girls. They love that."

"They really do, don't they?" Caroline chuckled. "So, if I get going next week, maybe leave on Monday, I should get back in a couple of days, in time for the dance on Friday night. That could work?"

"We can make it work," Ric confirmed. "Are you going to take a paternity test or something? Does that even work for vampires?"

"I don't know. Technically, Damon's blood runs through my veins now, so god knows what that means for my genetic makeup. The paternity test might even say his name."

"I … don't think that's how they work."

"I know, but let me have my nightmare in peace." The thought of Damon being unveiled as her father like an episode of Maury, chair-throwing and all, was definitely a horrifying one. "Now that I've chosen to go ahead with everything, it's probably safe to ask Elena."

"If you can get a hold of her. Newborn babies aren't the easiest to handle, as we both know."

"True. But she's back at work, so she could even run the samples for us. Maybe I can bring them back with me or something. It's just a cheek swab, right?"

"I think so, but you'd have to ask Elena."

She kind of really didn't want to do that. "Or I can just compel someone else to do it, someone in New York. Or just compel them if the results look wonky."

"You can figure this all out as you go, you know. You don't have to make a plan for everything."

"But that's how I cope."

"The best things are unplanned," Ric advised. "Just look at our girls. Doubly unplanned."

He was right; he and Jo hadn't planned to have a baby, let alone two, and Caroline certainly hadn't planned to have two fetuses magically transported into her womb. "I can try to relax, I guess."

From the look on Ric's face, he knew that was bullshit.

* * *

"You what?"

"I have a kid. Probably. Keep up, Hap."

Happy looked as though he was scrambling for words, his mouth hanging open like a carp just pulled from its pond. "I—I—I—"

"Yes,  _you, you, you_ need to keep up," said Tony. He knew he was being a little cruel, but he really needed Happy to get with the program. "We're going out to shawarma on Monday night after she drives up in the morning. I need to get that private room on top of the shawarma place on 39th, and I need it to be secure. I can have FRIDAY sweep for bugs, but I'd like it if you were there to run interference with the staff. I've already done background checks on them all and every other restaurant on the block, just in case she wants to go somewhere else. But if she does change her mind, I want you up-to-date on it and ready to prepare somewhere else for us."

"You—" Happy floundered a little more. "You realise this is weird, right?"

"I  _realise_ that this is how it's going to have to go. I have to be flexible, but I can't be flexible about safety. No way is anyone finding out about her without her consent, and no way is she getting put in danger just because she has dinner with me. Same goes for getting in the press. Absolutely no cameras anywhere in the vicinity, get that, Hap?"

Happy sighed. "You know you could just get FRIDAY to do all of this. Anything I can do, she can do better, etcetera, etcetera."

"Maybe I want the personal touch."

"Maybe you want someone there in case you freak out. Will you be wearing a wire, too? Am I gonna sit in a van outside?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Happy," scoffed Tony. "You'll be our waiter."

"What—"

"Now, go," said Tony, shooing his bodyguard from his workshop. "I need to caffeinate, and then I need to do some research."

Ignoring Happy's protests, he evicted the other man from the room. He had an entire childhood to catch up on, and only the internet to do it with.

* * *

Caroline watched the scissors cleave the paper smoothly, maintaining a straight line. It had been a while since she'd done this, and she'd forgotten how hypnotic the rhythm of it could be.

Sometimes she genuinely wondered why people did drugs.

Her phone buzzed loudly, startling her. Thankfully, the uniformity of her cuts through the paper was not compromised.

Picking up her phone, Caroline caught sight of Bonnie's smiling contact photo and dropped backwards onto the bed as she answered it, careful not to disturb any of her work spread out over the duvet.

"You know you're literally one floor down from me, right?" she said in lieu of a greeting. "You can just walk up here."

" _I'm in the bathtub,"_  said Bonnie, the sound of splashing water and a high-pitched giggle coming over the connection. From the sounds of it, she wasn't alone, either. " _I just thought I'd check how you're doing."_

Caroline had told them all, their friends and staff, about Tony at lunch, announcing her intention to take off to New York for a few days. They'd been happy for her, if awkwardly so, but Bonnie had been mostly quiet, a knowing look the only thing she gave Caroline throughout the encounter.

"I'm fine," Caroline assured her. "How are you?"

" _Good. Pissed that my best friend is lying to me."_

"Shame on Elena, then."

" _Care,"_  Bonnie chided _. "Tell me the truth."_

"I said I'm fine, and I'm fine. I'll be fine. I can handle this. I've handled worse."

" _You're talking in short sentences. You're panicking, aren't you?"_

"No," Caroline argued. She sat up, switching the phone to speaker and dropping it onto the duvet so she could continue with her work.

" _Are you making flash cards right now?"_

Caroline's hand froze on the scissors. "Uh, no."

" _Liar_ ," said Bonnie. " _All right, give us two minutes. We're drying off and coming up there. And if you try and hide your weird flash cards and crap, we'll find them."_

"No, wait—" The phone clicked, signalling that she'd hung up.

What ensued was a two-minute scramble to throw the printed news articles and half-made flash cards into drawers so they weren't on display when Bonnie and Valerie walked in.

It took them thirty seconds to find it all anyway.

"Seriously?" asked Valerie, eyebrows raised as she read an article. "This is twenty years old."

"I'm being thorough," Caroline defended from where she lay, head buried in her pillow.

The bed dipped behind her, the scent of witch hazel and lavender shampoo wafting over Caroline as Bonnie put a hand on her shoulder. "You know you don't have to do all this," she said. "The research, the panicking—"

"I'm not panicking."

"Can you take your head out of the pillow to say that?" asked Valerie.

Grunting, Caroline forced herself to sit up, rubbing at the smudged makeup under her eyes. She loved these women, but sometimes living with them was the worst. "I'm okay," she said. "I just want to be prepared. I'm leaving on Monday, and I don't—" She surprised herself by choking a little. "I don't want to disappoint him."

Bonnie and Valerie exchanged a look, doing that weird silent communication thing that couples can do, the one that Caroline wasn't jealous of at all.

"I'm going to go see if I can't find some ice cream," announced Valerie, dropping the article she'd been reading on the dresser on her way out.

Left alone with Caroline, Bonnie turned back to her. "Care, you know he's not Bill, right?"

"Obviously."

"I mean that disappointing Bill wasn't your fault. It wasn't because you didn't do something right. He hated vampires, and it wasn't your fault that you turned. What he did to you for it was inexcusable."

"I really don't want to talk about that, Bon."

"But maybe you need to."

"I don't—" Caroline shook her head. "I don't want to do this. I had to let go of it all a long time ago, and I don't want to be bringing it back up now."

"You didn't let it go, Care. You buried it. And now it's resurfacing, because everything we bury eventually does."

"I think I might like to leave it a little longer, if that's okay," Caroline said, voice as small as she felt. "Studying is easier."

"It's not a test."

"I don't care."

Bonnie sighed, looking over the flashcards she'd fished out of the nightstand. "Okay," she said. "Then we'll help you. Get ready to eat ice cream and get quizzed."

Caroline laughed, surprised to find tears on her cheeks as she did so. "Thanks, Bon."

Bonnie reached out and covered her hand with her own. "Any time, Care."

* * *

Monday morning came, bright and crisp and in somewhat of a smug manner, if you asked Caroline.

She bid farewell to all of her colleagues and friends inside, getting some well-wishes from the students who were around. They didn't know where she was going, and neither did her girls, but they knew she'd be back for the dance, and that seemed to placate them.

Now, Caroline, Ric, and the girls all stood in the parking lot beside the Armory. Everyone else had decided to give them time to say goodbye as a family unit.

The girls were attached to Caroline's legs, arms wrapped around the backs of her thighs in an attempt to trap her. She bent over them, one hand on either of their backs. "I love you girls," she said. "And I promise I'll call you tonight before I go to my meeting, okay?"

"Time to let Mom go, girls," said Ric, stepping forward. He peeled them off her with some difficulty, ending up with one shrieking, giggling girl under each arm. That was sure to hurt his back, but she didn't mention it. He seemed happy.

"I love you!" she said, blowing kisses at them. Having nothing more to say—nothing that wouldn't convince her to stay—she got into her car, put the key in the ignition, and got on her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback makes the writing go faster!


	7. The Finish Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! Thanks for sticking with me so far.

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

#  _ The Finish Line _

  
  


Caroline swore, setting the hair curler down in its holder. Her hair, something she usually delighted in styling, was not being cooperative. Maybe it was something about the travel, or maybe the New York air, but she looked like she'd stuck a finger in a light socket.

Running her hands through the locks lightly, she tried to separate some of the larger curls that had become snarled without ruining them altogether. The effort was for nothing.

She bit back a scream, almost lashing out at the basin in front of her. The last thing she needed was to ruin something else.

The hotel room was lovely, all told, and the service had been great. She hadn't hit a single green light on the way through the city, and for a first-time driver in New York, that was a big goddamned deal.

And yet she felt like everything had gone wrong, and was going wrong, and would always go wrong.

God, this wasn't going as well as she'd hoped it would.

* * *

In a word, things were not going well.

In two words, things were going  _fucking horribly_.

Tony had no issues picking out something to wear, having new Armani pieces he wanted to try, sans tie and vest. No need to go full three-piece for shawarma with his prospective daughter. That would just be weird.

No, the problem came when FRIDAY started glitching and singing operatic arias just as he was on his way out the door. He could've left his AI like that, but he knew he may need her services throughout the night and he couldn't count on her if she was freaking out like that.

He spent roughly ten minutes yelling at her until he remembered the right codes to shut her down and boot her up again. By the time she was functional (and apparently embarrassed), he was already running late.

Well, 'late' was a relative term. They were meeting up at 7, and it was still only 6:15, and it was a 20 minute drive to the place the way Happy drove. But he was later than he'd wanted to be in order to get there before her, secure a parking spot for her (without her knowing), and double-check that the security and everything was all in order.

Maybe he didn't have to go through all of this. Maybe it was ridiculous, and unnecessary, and everything else Happy had told him at length.

Maybe he should've asked Rhodey for guidance, if he wasn't so damn ashamed of how he'd talked to the guy.

But whatever he did, Tony had a feeling that the pulsing in his chest wouldn't ebb, couldn't be reasoned with.

He was, in a word, terrified.

* * *

Caroline arrived half an hour early, 6:30 on the dot. She'd taken a cab, leaving her car behind in the parking lot beneath the hotel. No reason to navigate the New York streets at night in her own car, not with her blood pressure already skyrocketing.

She'd ended up twisting her hair into an up-do, only curling the tendrils that fell around her face. Standing on the street, she checked her eyeliner with the camera on her phone, her face illuminated in the flashing lights from the sign on the shawarma place.

There was no sign of an ostentatious vehicle or otherwise flashy show of wealth, so she assumed that Tony wasn't there yet.

Unable to help herself, Caroline did a lap of the block, checking the perimeter for her own peace of mind. She had half-yearly meetings with Marcel, Vincent, and Hayley in New Orleans to catch up on how the magical (and werewolf) kids in NOLA were doing, and to tell them if she had any security concerns about the Armory. She knew what they did to prepare the restaurant for those meetings, and "securing the perimeter" was just step one of that process.

Unfortunately, she did not have a near unlimited amount of followers lining up to heed her commands. Which was a good thing, because she had a hard enough time making good decisions for herself, but … it would be nice not to go into this so alone.

She really should've invited someone to come with her, but who? Matt, maybe, though he couldn't take time off work very often. Jeremy, Bonnie, Valerie, and Ric all had classes to teach and kids to supervise. Elena was on a surgical internship program and Damon was watching baby Will every day, so that was out of the question.

This was the kind of thing Stefan would've done with her.

She shook the thought away, burrowing her hands into her coat pockets until she could feel the seams stretching. She was approaching the shop once more and, sure enough, a Mercedes of some sort (she had no idea what) pulled up at the curb.

Her heart actually shuddered in her chest, stubbornly tugging at her to turn tail and run, but she stood her ground. More than that, she kept on walking until she was right in front of the sign again.

And out of the car emerged Tony Stark.

* * *

Tony knew what Caroline looked like, of course. He'd seen pictures of her throughout her entire childhood. But he'd yet to find a video, something that showed how she swayed uncertainly when she walked, how her eyes darted around, how she bit her lip nervously.

She looked like her mother. And for a moment, she  _was_ her mother.

* * *

_Twenty-six years ago …_

Tony darted along the sidewalk, dunking the empty foam cup into the trash as he did. He was late for a meeting with his father and some higher-ups in the company, and he just knew that Howard was going to have his ass for it. He'd been up all night working, but he looked like he'd been on a bender, and he knew for a fact which one his father would choose to take as the truth.

Entirely focused on his own terror, Tony missed the woman that rounded the street-corner at the same time as him and smacked into her. She was fairly solid and didn't fall, but she still cried out in surprise, looking up at him with wide, brown eyes. Coupled with her blonde curls and bangs, she looked like a startled pixie or some kind of elf.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I should watch where I'm going—"

"Don't be," Tony said. "I was the one in a rush."

"Well, you're not the only one," she said, breathlessly. "So I'm just gonna go—"

"Yeah, me too."

She waved goodbye, continuing on down the street. He watched her go for a moment before remembering himself, then whirled around and went on his way, forgetting all about her.

* * *

_Now …_

Caroline's heart thundered in her chest. "Hi," she said, voice a little weak. She stuck out a hand, hoping it wasn't shaking, and met Tony's wide brown eyes with her own. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Caroline."

He stared at her for a moment longer, then lurched forward to capture her hand in his. He shook it awkwardly, palm clammy, then dropped it. "Nice to meet you too," he said, sounding breathless. "Uh—you wanna go inside?"

"Sounds good." Caroline tucked her hands into her coat pockets again, following him into the restaurant. His driver was following them, a stocky, dark-haired man watching her with careful eyes.

The interior of the shop was simple, linoleum floors and a bay marie filled to bursting with food. It was also empty, but the staff didn't seem bothered by that. In fact, a man stepped out from behind the counter and greeted Tony with open arms, literally.

"Mr. Stark!" he said, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "Your room upstairs has been prepared to your liking."

"Thank you, Sayeed." Tony turned to Caroline. "If you'd just follow me …"

"Sure, lead the way."

Caroline trailed after him, following him up the narrow stairs near the back of the restaurant and into an open room. It was carpeted, one large, banquet-sized table set up with two places at it and all chairs removed but the ones corresponding to those places.

"This is nice," said Caroline, surveying the room more closely. The walls were painted tan and had several paintings hung on them.

"I had them set it up for my friends and I after we took to dining here, more than compensating them for their trouble, of course. We were too disruptive downstairs, as you can imagine."

"If by 'friends' you mean 'superheroes', then yeah." Caroline turned around, looking for the man that had followed them in. "Where'd your driver go?"

"Happy? He's getting cleaned up downstairs. He'll be serving us today."

"Not the staff here?"

"I …" Tony tilted his head to the side, considering. "I had some security concerns. It's best if Happy's the one that comes in an out."

"Security concerns?" Caroline raised an eyebrow. It would suck if he didn't care if she lived or died, but it was also going to be inconvenient if he spent all the time watching over her like she was some some vulnerable little girl.

"We should probably sit down for this conversation."

"Good idea," Caroline breathed, unbuttoning her coat and stepping towards one of the places at the table. They were both across from each other at one end, rather than being seated at either of the long table and having them yelling to be heard by each other.

"Here, let me," said Tony, motioning to her coat and stepping forward.

Caroline recovered from her shock quickly, letting him slip the coat from her shoulders and hang it over the back of her chair, then pull it out for her. She sat on the chair carefully, helping him tuck it in.

He removed his own suit jacket and sat across from her, playing with his cuffs a little uncomfortably. "The, um, menu is there, if you want to order first."

"I'll have whatever you think is good, thanks."

Nodding, he fished his phone from his pocket. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen, but she guessed she shouldn't have expected anything less from Tony Stark. He tapped their order into it, sending it. "Sent it to Happy," he said. "He'll be—"

"Serving us, yeah, I got that. You mentioned security concerns?"

"Nothing major," he said, grabbing the bottle of wine from the middle of the table and uncorking it expertly. "Just the usual. Being my … relative might not be the safest thing for you, and I didn't want to risk anything tonight."

"Not that I'm overly in need of protection," began Caroline, accepting the offered glass of wine, "but you do know that I have kids, right?"

"Two girls, yes. I … looked you up, just a little."

She was in no position to begrudge him that, given the flashcards she still had lying on the nightstand in her hotel room. "So if there were any pressing concerns, I would want to know about them. And I … I don't know how comfortable I am with any of this being public—"

"No, of course," he rushed to assure her. "No publicity. It's best for you and for your family, I get that."

"Good. I'm glad." She took a deep breath, fingers fidgeting with the edge of the tablecloth that fell into her lap. "And on the topic of confirming … this, you know, whether or not we're related—"

"We don't have to take any tests unless you want them. I'm not trying to protect any … any assets or anything. It's all up to you."

That was surprising, but not what she'd been getting at. "I don't mind it. I think it might be good to know for sure."

"If it … makes a difference," said Tony, uncertain, "I think your mom thought you were … mine. Your middle name, Maria, it was my mother's name. She knew how much my mom meant to me, so." He winced. "Sorry if you wanted to think she didn't know—"

"Bill was …  _incredibly_ gay, and she was never surprised that he left." She took another gulp of wine to settle her nerves, finding that her cup had run empty already. Tony offered his hand out to take her glass, so she gave it to him and watched him refill it. "I kind of wondered how everything went down between them for all those years, so I'm not surprised at this turn of events. Well, I'm  _surprised_ , but that's more because of who you are in general, not who you are to me. Maybe."

"I guess the whole situation is kind of bizarre, huh?"

"Just a little. I mean, you're … a superhero. I didn't really anticipate meeting one of those anytime soon." Well, there was a gaggle of rogue vampires with delusions of grandeur operating out of Chicago, calling themselves the V-squad or something, but Caroline hadn't met them. She'd just heard Marcel venting about them at their latest meeting after they'd paid a visit to New Orleans and trashed one of the buildings there.

"I prefer to think of myself as an entrepreneur with a dangerous hobby."

Caroline couldn't help but smirk. "That's one way of looking at it."

She heard footsteps approaching and schooled her features to not give away what her heightened senses had told her. Tony's driver, Happy, appeared with their meals balanced on a tray. The shawarma was served in wraps in both cases, some sort of pita bread that made Caroline's mouth water just looking at it.

"Thank you so much," she said, leaning back so Happy could set it in front of her. "Please tell the staff that it looks delicious."

"Will do," said Happy. She felt his gaze linger on her as he set Tony's meal down, almost spilling it in his boss's lap.

"Watch what you're doing, Hap," said Tony, sliding his plate back onto the table safely.

"Sorry, boss," said Happy, not sounding all that apologetic. He sent her a small smile on his way out.

"Sorry about him," said Tony. "He's a little excited about me possibly having a kid and all."

"It's fine, my friends would be the same if I had a surprise daughter show up." She picked up her wrap in her hands, biting into it carefully. The sauce ran down her chin, but it was good enough that she almost didn't care, wiping at the trail with her hand as an afterthought.

"Yeah, surprise kids are definitely something." Tony chewed his meal thoughtfully. "So, uh. Tell me about your girls?"

Caroline didn't fight the grin that spread over her face. "Are you sure you want to start that conversation? We might be here for a while."

Tony shrugged. "I've got nowhere to be."

"Okay! Uh, well, Lizzie and Josie are the two best parts of my life. And I live a pretty good life, I think, so that's saying something. They're only four, but Josie's this loud little thing, so hell-bent on being independent already. She's obsessed with purple, and half the time it's the only colour she'll wear."

She paused to refill her glass again. By this point she was pretty sure she'd drank half the bottle, but she didn't feel like asking for water instead. The wine was  _good_.

"Lizzie is … quieter. She seeks me out more still, wants reassurance that Ric—that her dad and I are around. My best friend Bonnie is their teacher at the school, and I swear she spends half the time panicking because Lizzie's gone missing. She's either with Ric and I, or so quiet she got left behind somewhere. I worry about her sometimes, you know, her ability to focus and all, how anxious she gets sometimes, but I think she's doing okay. Keeping a routine is good for her, so Ric and I try to do that as much as possible. And she's always calmer when Josie's around. I think she likes having her sister to focus on."

"They sound like good kids. I mean, I wouldn't know, but they sound like they're doing well."

"Yeah. Lizzie's reading level is well above her age, and she's already needing separate activities just to be challenged in the classroom. Josie's a little behind, if I'm honest. Ric and I joke that it's all the paint she drinks—"

"She drinks paint?"

"Oh, yeah. We banned her from the kinds of artificial colours in lollipops that turn her mouth different colours, so in retaliation she drinks paint at every opportunity to try and get the same effect. It's been months since we made the lollipop rule, but apparently this is the hill our four-year-old is going to die on."

Tony chuckled. "Sometimes you just gotta stick with your principles."

"God, you and Ric would get along." Caroline rolled her eyes. "He's so blasé about the situation—about most things, actually. I'll be panicking about our daughter ingesting dangerous chemicals and he'll be taking pictures of her tongue to show his friends. I think he's secretly proud of her."

"And you're not?"

"I want to raise girls that stand on their own feet. I just wasn't anticipating that the independence would start this soon, or that they'd be standing against me. It's a bit of a shock."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem like you care about them."

"Ric and I try to keep a close watch on them, make sure they're doing okay."  _They've been through a lot,_ she almost said, but she stopped herself just in time. "All parents worry about their kids, I guess."

"And you and … Ric? You're not together anymore?"

"Uh, no, we're not together. I, um—" She looked down at her wedding ring, the one she'd never taken off. "I'm widowed, but I thought you knew that."

"I … had some awareness, yes. I did look you up."

She drained the last of her third glass of wine. "Likewise."

"I just … was wondering what the nature of yours and Ric's relationship was, is all." It could have been an innocent inquiry, but something in his tone told Caroline otherwise.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, grabbing the wine bottle from the middle of the table.

"I just …" He shifted in his chair. "I know he was your teacher in high school, and your professor at college when you had the twins—"

"So you think he took advantage of me?" It would've been laughable if she hadn't had the beginning of anger stirring in her gut. Ric would never do that. He was one of her best friends, and a good man. She could also crush his head with one hand. "Ric would never do that."

"I can see how you would think that," said Tony, carefully. "But you were young, just starting out—"

"Seriously?" Caroline set her wine glass down, immediately feeling its loss in her hand. "Is this what you set up this dinner for? Judging me for my love life?"

"I want you to be safe, Caroli—"

"I  _am_  safe. I have two great kids and an incredible man to co-parent with. I run a school." No way was he judging her right now, no way would he get that chance. Bill had been just the same. "I'm a goddamn upstanding member of society. Where the fuck go you get off accusing me—"

"I wasn't trying to accuse you, Caroline," he insisted, hands raised in surrender. "I was just trying to see if you were okay, to gauge the situation—"

Caroline scoffed, wiping at her mouth with a napkin and throwing it onto her plate. "I don't need to listen to this," she said, shooting to her feet. She wobbled a little, tipsier than she thought she was, and struggled into her coat. Tony stood too, following her out of the room and down into the stairwell.

"Caroline, wait, please—"

"No, we're done." Caroline glared at him over her shoulder on her way down, causing her to miss a step and skid down to the bottom. Face flaming, she barely managed to stay on her feet as she marched out of the restaurant.

Tony followed her onto the street. "Please, let me call you a cab or something—"

"I can take care of myself," she spat.

"Happy can drive you—"

"Just go!" Tears blurred her vision as she stepped off the curb, hand raised to hail a cab. "Don't call me. We're done."

"I'm sorry—"

She stumbled toward the cab that pulled up, not hearing him anymore as she yanked the door open and fell inside, barely able to give the address to her hotel before she burst into tears.

* * *

Tony watched the cab drive away, utterly devastated.

He'd done everything he could to prepare, and he'd still fucked it up. What was he thinking, sounding like some kind of judgmental aunt at Thanksgiving? Who the fuck did he think he was?

Behind him, the door to the restaurant clanged open. "Boss?" asked Happy, approaching tentatively. "You coming back in?"

"No," he said, blinking back angry tears. "It's over."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Caroline seemed a little dramatic, but all will be explained soon. Reviews make the writing go faster!


	8. And If You're Still Breathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life got hectic.

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

#  _ And If You’re Still Breathing _

  
  
  


 

Caroline had never regretted her love of Beyonce until the moment her ringtone went off that morning. For the record, she wasn't feeling crazy just then—only hungover, and fucking exhausted.

Fumbling for her phone, Caroline answered it with a grunt, hoping it was no one important.

" _Oh, good,"_  said Bonnie. " _You're still alive."_

Caroline whimpered again, rubbing her face with the back of her hand. Her cheeks felt gummy from the hours-long crying fest she'd had over the tiny bottles of booze from the mini fridge.

"What do you want?" she managed, voice rough.

" _I'm just checking that you're still breathing. You promised to call me after the dinner last night, but you never did."_

Caroline forced herself to sit up, head spinning. "Yeah, I, uh, forgot. Sorry."

" _I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that it didn't go so well?"_

"You'd be right."

A sigh sounded down the line. " _What happened?"_

"I don't remember."

" _Jesus, Care. How much did you drink?"_

"Enough to need to have this conversation after a greasy meal and a whole pot of coffee. Can I call you back?"

" _I have class in 10 minutes. Call during lunch? I'm not on duty in the cafeteria, so I should have some time to chat."_

"Sounds good. Talk then." Caroline could barely see straight enough to hit the hang-up button.

She hadn't had a hangover this bad in  _years._ If she was going to survive it, she'd need the world's biggest aspirin. Or maybe just an entire bottle.

* * *

Bottle of aspirin stuffed in her pocket and two capsules already dissolving under her tongue, Caroline stumbled down the street, trying desperately to remember how to get back to the hotel. She'd call a cab, but she wasn't confident she wouldn't knock them out with the sheer force of her morning breath in a confined space.

She made it down three blocks with no idea where she was going before she realised she was being followed. It was by the same car Tony had arrived in the night before, but a quick listen in revealed only one heartbeat, that of the driver.

Determined to have some dignity, Caroline licked her thumbs and tried to surreptitiously wipe away some of the mascara that had fallen under her eyes. She was wearing black flats and a coat bulky enough to hide that she was still clad in last night's dress, but her hair was pulled back into the messiest ponytail she'd ever done.

She halted on the pavement, waiting for the car to pull into the curb. The passenger side window rolled down and Happy's voice emerged from inside. "Wanna ride?"

Caroline stepped a little closer, bracing her arm against the car to stop herself from pitching forward. "I'm okay, thank you," she said. "I can find my own way."

"You seem like you might be kinda lost."

She scoffed. "I don't need Tony protecting me—"

"Tony doesn't know I'm here. He's still passed out holding a bottle of scotch like a teddy bear. I'm … here to talk to you. As his friend, not his employee."

If she was being truthful, she'd admit that she was having a hard time navigating the streets. She didn't want to admit that, so instead she said, "How do you even know where I'm staying?"

He gave her a look that told her that was a stupid question.

Caroline groaned. "Fine," she said, opening the door. Happy seemed surprised that she was getting into the front seat and not the back, but he made no comment, just pulled out onto the street.

Happy eyed her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like microwaved shit."

"You had some aspirin yet?" he asked. "Any coffee?"

"I had a crappy instant coffee from the hotel lobby and I just took two pills. Why?"

Happy shrugged. "We keep a stock in the car."

"Of course you do." Caroline pressed her head to the cool glass, hoping it would ease her migraine.

"Look … I don't know the finer details of what happened last night, but whatever Tony did, I'm sure he can make up for it. He just doesn't think sometimes—"

Caroline screwed her eyes shut. "It wasn't him," she said, voice croaky. "He didn't do anything. He was pretty perfect, actually." Even the food he ordered for her was exactly to her taste.

Happy frowned, glancing sideways at her. "Then what happened?"

Feeling her throat begin to swell as an omen of coming tears, Caroline swallowed past the lump and tried to compose herself. " _I_  happened. It was going great, and then I drank too much and overreacted. I ruined a really great thing. Classic me."

Happy chuckled. At her glare, he looked penitent, but only for a moment. "I'm sorry, it's just—you sound just like Tony. I feel pretty safe in saying that no DNA test is necessary here. The self-loathing is indication enough."

"I can guarantee I've got him beat on it."

"Oh, you're competitive, too. Nice."

Caroline shook her head. "I can tell you're trying to make me feel better, but it's not working. I fucked it all up. God, I was practically hysterical—"

"You weren't that bad—"

" _I fell down the stairs."_

"Okay, that was pretty bad. But you did manage to stay on your feet. That's more than Tony would've done."

Caroline sighed. "I appreciate that you're trying to help me, Happy. I do. I just don't think there's anything you can do."

"I can give you some advice, if you want."

At this point, what could it hurt? "Sure."

"Tony won't blame you; he'll blame himself. And given that he pretty much decided to walk away from you initially, it's safe to say he's gonna do that again now. If you want to clear things up or hash things out, you're gonna need to go to him."

"I'm not sure it's worth it."

"If you are who I think you are, it is. Trust me." They pulled up at the curb in front of the hotel, just out of the offloading area. "But it's up to you. I won't tell him about this conversation if you don't."

Caroline tried to absorb what he was saying, but she felt so drowsy she wasn't sure any of it was sinking in. "Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime."

She went to unbuckle her seatbelt, finding that it had already undone itself. Grunting, she threw it off herself and tried her best to get out of the car with some measure of grace.

She failed, but the doorman helped scrape her off the pavement.

* * *

Talking to Bonnie yielded little in the way of help. She loved her friends dearly, but they were shamefully terrible at making decisions for her.

Not that she would've liked it if they did that, but she figured it was okay to be bitter about being a grownup for now.

She napped through the afternoon, an alarm set for 5pm when she was scheduled to FaceTime Ric and the twins. They called her at 5 minutes to, apparently eager. She double checked that she was fresh-faced and ready in the mirror before answering, putting on her biggest smile.

"Mommy!" chimed the girls, clambering over each other on their dad's lap. They were in his bedroom, stretched out on the bed.

"Hey, girls," she greeted, blowing them a kiss and receiving dozens in return. "How are you?"

What followed was an explosion of excited chatter about their activities that day: Painting and gardening and colouring and spells to help them with all three. One of the kids fell over on the playground, but Josie described the band-aid they received in enough detail that Caroline was confident they were okay.

By the time the girls were finished recounting their day, Ric looked exhausted. They asked her questions about hers, and she gave evasive answers about her nice hotel room and good business meetings and "I'll see you guys soon, I promise."

There were no tears when they said goodbye, thank god. She watched Ric give them both kisses as Valerie arrived to take them to bath time with the other kids, and they said goodbye to Caroline and their daddy happily and with no fuss, leaving Caroline and Ric alone.

"You look tired."

"Could say the same," he replied. "How are you really?"

"Bonnie talked to you."

"No, but your hair is a mess and you haven't even put on any eyeliner."

"Hey, I don't have to conform to gender standards to be okay."

"No, but that is something you like to do when you're okay. How are you feeling?"

"Not fantastic, but I'll be okay. Thank you for looking after the girls."

"You don't have to make it sound like babysitting, Care. They are my kids."

"I know, I know. I'm still grateful, though. I don't know how I'd manage without you."

"Yeah, well, being a good dad is important to me." He was quiet for a second, fingers tapping on the sides of the screen enough to make the feed vibrate. "Speaking of which—how was he?"

"He was great. I was nervous. It wasn't a great combination."

"There's still time to fix it."

"Yeah, I don't know about that."

"Caroline," he sighed. "If you want to do it, then do it. You're ballsy enough to make it work no matter what. But if you've changed your mind, then own it, and come back home."

"I just … I don't know if I fit in his world. I made a complete fool out of myself—"

"Wasn't there a video circulating a couple years back of Stark eating shrimp off of some girl's—"

"We don't need to talk about that," Caroline interrupted. "At all. Ever."

"Okay, message received." A smirk toyed across his lips. "I'm just saying, it might be a good idea to not hold yourself to such a standard. And sure, you're in the city where he lives, but he lives there alone. You have a family and a school here. You're not just fitting into his life; he's fitting into yours. You have bargaining power here. You don't have to simper and beg for his respect when it's supposed to be mutual."

"He's not making me do that."

"But you think you should be anyway."

"I think I shouldn't be drinking the entire bottle of wine at dinner and falling down the stairs—stop laughing, it's not funny."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, eyes sparkling with mirth. "I just think you shouldn't be so worried about it. I know that your relationship with him isn't the same as my relationship with our girls, but I watched Josie eat paint chips today, and I still love her."

"She has got to stop doing that."

"Not the point I'm making."

Caroline sighed. "I know, Mr Reasonable. And I'll think about it, okay?"

"You do that. Look, I gotta go and make sure the boys are showering—"

"Please, god, do that." The time they were skipping showers without the staff knowing was a dark time, and one none of them dared mention. "I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun!"

She snorted. "You too. And make sure—"

"—to collect all the dirty socks, yeah, I know. Riley's stash scarred us all for life on that point."

Caroline shuddered. "Yeah. Have fun with that."

Ric rolled his eyes and hung up. She clicked her phone off, staring at her own reflection for a second.

Fuck, she was really doing this.

* * *

Caroline had driven past Stark Tower upon first arriving in the city. It was even bigger than it looked in the pictures she's seen online, sleeker in person, and somehow quieter than she'd expected.

She'd known it was possible that she'd be visiting it sooner rather than later. She just hadn't thought it would be  _this_ soon, and unannounced to boot.

She parked a few streets away, checking her reflection in the car mirror. She'd slept a little better the night before, not touching a single drink, and had woken that morning to a beautiful room service breakfast of waffles and cream and a mimosa she didn't touch. Her hair was behaving, curled nicely, and she hadn't spent an hour doing her eyeliner, foregoing it entirely in favour of a dusting of eyeshadow and a slash of pink lip gloss that made her feel like a teenager all over again.

Remaining calm on the walk over was a tall task, but she managed to not panic. She didn't even walk past the tower several times like she thought she would, instead marching right inside.

The lobby was nondescript. Lushly carpeted and with a water feature against one wall, it was like a doctor's office. If the doctor was a billionaire, that is. The only notable feature was that it didn't contain a single human being.

Checking the time on her phone, Caroline realised that most employees would be in the tower already, if they were coming in at all. But she'd thought there'd at least be someone at the front desk.

There wasn't even a front desk.

Heart pounding, Caroline had just picked up her phone to text Tony when a robotic voice spoke, the same one she'd heard on the phone the first time she rang.

" _Hello, Miss."_

She jumped a little, looking up and around. "Uh, hi?"

" _I'm FRIDAY, Mr. Stark's AI. How may I help you today?"_

"I was hoping to speak with Tony, if that's okay. If he's not busy, I mean. I—" She cut herself off before she could start rambling at a robot. "Can you ask him if he's available?"

" _Of course, miss. One moment, please."_

* * *

" _Boss?"_

Tony groaned, lifting his faceplate. He was in the middle of testing the helmets on one of the suits, and by "testing" he meant "getting punched in the face by a robot created for that specific purpose, just to see how much force the alloy could take without injuring his face".

" _Miss Forbes is currently in the lobby waiting to see you."_

"What? Now?"

" _Yes, boss. Should I send her up?"_

"God, uh, yeah." His voice wobbled a little as he prised the helmet off his head. "Send her to the penthouse. I'll join her in a second."

What followed was a whirlwind. He had a quick shower in one of the ones on the side of the room, installed after one too many mishaps with acids and other corrosives. He had no soap, but it got the layer of grease off at least. He dried off with one of the larger blasters he was working on (much to FRIDAY's dismay), stopping when he scented burning hair. He donned a pair of spare coveralls and a fresh T-shirt, checking the time.

Five minutes since she first arrived.

He took the elevator up, checking his reflection in the mirrored walls. There were purple circles under his eyes and the shadow of a bruise forming along his jaw, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

The elevator doors opened onto his penthouse. It was ostentatious and just plain arrogant in appearance—not that that had bothered him until he saw Caroline standing in it, eyeing the wall plastered with a painting of him in the suit.

She whirled to face him, hands tucked under her armpits. She'd removed her coat, and she looked more relaxed than she had at their dinner. He hoped that was a good sign.

"Hi," she said, wincing a little. "I'm sorry to come unannounced—"

"You're always welcome." He wished he'd brought a rag or something to twist in his hands. "Please, sit down."

She nodded, walking over to the arrangement of low sofas. It wasn't quite a living room, given the open plan arrangement of the apartment, but it was a level down from the rest of the area and had enough cushions to make it kind of homey.

"Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"Uh, I think no alcohol for tonight. I have a tendency to overindulge."

That, he could identify with. Not the turning it down, but the other part about overindulgence. Though, if she was going without, he figured it was best to follow suit. He grabbed an energy drink from the bar fridge, hoping it would help perk him up, and joined her in the living area.

"So," she began, running her hands over her thighs. "I have some explaining to do."

"You don't have to—"

"No, I want to do this. I want to talk, if that's okay."

He nodded, breaking the seal on his drink as he tried to stay silent. If she needed space to talk, he'd give that.

"I think that there might be a few things that I could clear up for you, in regards to my situation. There were a couple of things—no, there  _are_ a couple of things I'm sensitive to, and not telling you about them but expecting you to understand them anyway was a bit of a dick move." She floundered a little, wringing her skirt in her hands. "First of all, my dad—Bill, he wasn't the best guy. I mean, there's the surface level stuff like him walking out on us, but—and I don't know if you know this—he didn't come back for months. He didn't call me, didn't set up coffee or arrange for me to visit him or anything. He said he was getting set up, but when I went to stay with him a year later, I realised what had actually happened. Stephen had a daughter, and he'd won sole custody of her in a battle with his ex-boyfriend. Dad had been helping him through the court case. He didn't have time for me because he was busy fighting for someone else's kid."

She shook her head, blinking back tears. Tony wanted to speak, to do something, but he forced himself to let her continue.

"When he did come back into my life," she continued, "he never made an effort to see me. I had to catch a bus or drive myself to him, not the other way around. And he made it very clear that he didn't approve of the way I was living my life. I was … wild, sure, but I had good grades. I was captain of the cheer squad. I did a lot of stuff I'm not proud of, but on paper, I was a good student and a good person, but it was like he only knew about the public fights with boyfriends and the drunken brawls and getting caught under the stands with—"

She stopped herself, thankfully, biting her lip and staring into the middle distance with unfocused eyes.

"Anyway, so things weren't great when I did visit him. I … well, there was this one night where I was on my way to his stepdaughter's birthday party—not the she ever came to mine—and I got caught up on the way. He was so mad that I missed it without calling, but I—" The tears welled in earnest. "When I tried to tell him what actually happened that night, he wouldn't listen to me. Mom told him later and he apologised, but I guess it always stuck with me that I had had one of the worst nights of my life, and all he could think about was how I disappointed his new daughter."

He wanted to know more about that night, but bit his tongue.

"After that, things kind of escalated. I went through some … changes, and Bill didn't approve. He made it abundantly clear that he didn't approve." She hesitated, considering. "Violently clear."

* * *

"Violently clear," she'd said. She didn't know where it came from. She hadn't planned to admit to that part, and there was no way she could tell Tony about the vampirism or the torture that ensued as he tried to "fix" her.

From the look on Tony's face, he probably wasn't going to cope with the specifics.

"I'm okay," she kept going. "I mean, I'm great. Fine. Recovered, whatever. I was sad when he died, but that was probably a little messed up. If we're being honest, my relationship with him isn't any clearer now that he's dead. I don't get to talk about him negatively very often, so I mostly just focus on my mom. We had a good relationship."  _She threatened to shoot Bill in the head that one time._ "I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that I can be kind of sensitive to criticism. Not all criticism, but coming from you it just—I don't really know how to explain it, but it's … I didn't deal with it very well."

He nodded in understanding, pausing. "I can identify with that. And what I said about you and your family, that was not cool. Doesn't matter who I am to you. Doesn't matter what happened, even. I mean, look at you. You're doing fine. Who the hell do I think I am, pushing my way into that?"

"No, that's just it," said Caroline. "You're right to worry about that. He was my teacher, and then my professor, and it looks bad. I know it does. But you don't have the full story."

"I don't need it. You don't owe me an explanation—"

"But I'd like to give one, if that's okay, because I agree with you. If one of my girls got with someone in authority over them, if they had a relationship that was unbalanced like that—I don't know what I'd do, but I'd sure as hell make more than just a throwaway comment. So there's some backstory that you probably need."

He nodded, setting his empty energy drink onto the coffee table to settle back in his chair. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Well, first of all, Ric was never  _Mr Saltzman_  to me. He was always Ric to all of us, probably because he was a young teacher and he was trying to be relatable or whatever. We got closer to him than we did the other teachers—and by we I mean my entire friend group.

"My best friend, Elena, she lost her parents just before our junior year. Her Aunt Jenna had custody of her after that, and Jenna was always more of a cool aunt to Elena and the rest of us. She bought me my first beer, she smuggled us trashy magazines and chocolate when we were grounded, she took us camping, she was … amazing. And so it kind of made sense that she and Ric got together while we were all in high school.

"We saw more of him after that. He was drinking buddies with Stefan's older brother, and he started staying over at Elena's when he and Jenna got more serious. After Jenna died, Elena was already eighteen, so she had custody of her younger brother, but Ric moved in with them to keep an eye on things. He missed Jenna like they did, and he became a part of their family.

"Ric went away for a while, but he came back when we moved on to college. He taught Occult Studies, and we all enrolled just for nostalgia's sake more than anything. He was our go-to guy. He taught me how to change a flat tire, because like hell did my dad ever bother. He tried in vain to teach me how to cook once. It was … nice.

"He started dating this woman that worked at the hospital near campus, a woman named Jo. When they got engaged, it was like everything was as it was supposed to be. But then …" And this was where things diverged from the truth a bit. She and Ric had agreed how to tell this story long ago. "But they wanted kids, and Jo couldn't have any. She was fertile, but there was something wrong with her uterus, don't remember what. They started looking for a surrogate, and it occurred to me that I had a perfectly good womb, a great diet, and a can-do attitude. So I volunteered."

Understanding dawned on Tony's face.

"And then … Jo died. And it was just Ric, the twins in my belly, and me stuck in between. I never thought of them as mine—never let myself—but somewhere along the way, Ric and I were working as a team, and we were so in sync, and the babies were on the way … I don't know, it just felt natural for me to be their mom. So Ric and I bought a house, we moved in together after the twins were born, and that was that." She met his gaze. "We were never together. We toyed with the idea of getting married at one point, just to make things easier, but ultimately, we don't work like that. He never took advantage of me. He's a good friend, a good pseudo-husband when I have to attend events, and most of all, he's a good dad. We work well together."

Silence reigned.

"So," she began awkwardly, "that's it. If you have any questions—"

"I must've sounded like such a dick." He sounded truly horrified.

"Not even a little. I should've explained it. I was practically hysterical, but that was more the wine than anything else. Maybe we should stick to club soda next time."

"Next time?"

She gave him a smile. "If you'll allow it, I'd like to try again. Sans drunken weeping, this time."

"I can do that. When?"

Caroline looked around, shrugging. "Are you free today?"

"Free forever." He winced. "Free for this week, at least. Nothing I can't move around. What, uh, what do you want to do?"

Shawarma had been a perfect plan, but she figured it was best to go somewhere that didn't serve any alcohol at all. "I think I have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you liked it! The next should be around within a week. And for those of you asking about Caroline's interactions with Klaus and the other Avengers ... well, there are plans, but nothing's set in stone. Feel free to comment with your wishes for the future, and I may take them into consideration.


	9. You're the Lucky Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! Sorry for the long wait. An explanation of that and answers to some of the common questions I'm getting are available in the end notes!

 

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

#  _You’re the Lucky Ones_

  


 

Tony stood on the pavement, slack-jawed. "McDonald's?" he asked, voice rising in pitch.

"No, we're going to the super secret grown-up restaurant out back."

He turned to Caroline with something like hope in his eyes. "Really?"

Caroline snorted. "No, idiot. Come on, I need about a dozen cheeseburgers to help me process my emotions."

 _Sounds healthy on multiple levels._  He didn't say that out loud, of course. He was trying not to be a complete dick.

It had been a long time since Tony last set foot in a McDonald's. It had once been a go-to, the best place to get the most food while drunk at 3am. Now that he was older and more recognisable, it just didn't make sense to stop by so much.

It was also an establishment that didn't serve alcohol.

"What would you like?" Caroline asked, steering him towards the counter.

"Cheeseburger meal, I guess? Whatever you're having."

"You can't fit in what I'm having, so I'll just halve it." Caroline stepped up to the counter before Tony could interject. "Hi! I'll grab six cheeseburgers, three lots of large fries, and two large cokes, please."

The pimply teenager behind the till seemed surprised, but entered the order nonetheless. Caroline ignored Tony's protests as she swiped her card, paying for their meal.

His complaints had died down by the time they reached a booth in the back, right after Caroline informed him that she was used to screeching children and she could easily ignore him if she wanted to. Tony thought that might be a challenge of a sort, but decided against testing her.

"We haven't swept this place for security purposes, you know," he said, unwrapping one of the cheeseburgers.

Caroline chewed thoughtfully, already three bites into her burger. "We'll be fine. You're hardly recognisable."

It was kind of true. His beard was a little more unkempt than usual and he was sans-tinted sunglasses, so he wasn't too recognisable. Hopefully they'd be able to make it through their fast food experience without being mobbed by the press.

"So," she said, "how long has it been since you last set foot in a fast food chain?"

"A while. I eat a lot of take-out, just not … this." He eyed the way she chowed down her burger, almost finished with the first one already. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Uh, yeah," she replied, pausing to swallow her mouthful. "I eat a lot. It's probably something to do with how energetic I am all the time, but I eat  _a lot._ Burgers are a necessity, so I eat them at least once a week. My favourite is from this grill we have in Mystic Falls, but McDonald's will do in a pinch."

"How many of these burgers do you plan on eating?"

"At least four. If you want more than two I can go back and get some—"

"No, I'm good, thanks." He was trying to be strict about his diet, mostly getting by on granola, protein shakes, and vegetable-laden take-out, but god he'd forgotten how good food tasted when it was terrible for you.

"So," Caroline began, scrunching up her now empty burger wrapper and tossing it to the side to grab the next one. "Could you maybe tell me a little more about you and my mom?"

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Just the basics, nothing embarrassing. How did you guys meet?"

"Well, we officially met on the street—not too far from here, actually. We literally ran into each other. But we didn't meet again until much later."

"What was she like back then?"

"She was … a lot like you, actually. Small town girl in the city, not for the first time, but still, you could tell she wasn't used to it. It was like she was always at war with something—the subway system, or rude drivers, or 24-hour gyms that weren't properly staffed at 3am when she arrived to pump iron …"

* * *

_Twenty-six years earlier …_

"I just can't believe it," Liz vented, pacing the length of Tony's living room. It was large, being a penthouse apartment, but her stride was fast enough to make quick work of it. "Your city is a mess."

"My city?" Tony asked, taking another sip of his beer. "What did it do to you now? Did you get lost on the subway again?"

"Hey, don't mock that. It's a ridiculous, convoluted mess and you know it."

"I told you you should just let me escort you on it when you need to ride it."

Liz glared at him. "You have other responsibilities. Speaking of which …" She walked over, dropping down on the sofa beside him. "Have you talked to your father yet?"

Tony shook his head. He didn't talk about Howard a lot, hadn't since they met three months ago, but Liz was insightful enough to see when his father's shadow was leaving him a little cold. It bothered him—the only real friend he'd had before this was Rhodey, but he was away at training. And that was what Liz was: just a friend, nothing more. She'd made it clear that she had a boyfriend back home, Bill something or other, and she wasn't interested in being another of Tony Stark's flings.

Liz cleared her throat, bringing him back to himself. "Your dad?" she prompted.

"Haven't heard from him, but I got a voicemail from Mom. Something about a brunch sometime—she didn't even tell me when."

"You going?"

"I have plans."

"You just said she didn't tell you when the brunch was."

"I still have plans," Tony dismissed. "Anyway, back to you and your anger issues—"

"I don't have  _anger issues,_ Tony. Your city is just a mess."

"Sounds like anger issues to me."

She rolled her eyes, smacking him with a pillow. He almost spilled his beer, turning on her with an incredulous look. "Elizabeth Dean, you apologise right now."

"Make me."

Setting his beer aside, Tony grinned. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

_Now …_

Caroline shook her head a little wondrously. "I can't imagine Mom getting worked up over the subway of all things."

"It wasn't worked up, really. More … agitated. She beared it gracefully at the time, didn't lose her cool, but afterwards she'd rant at me for ages about it. She called it 'my city', like every problem was my fault." He saw Caroline's brow furrow and hastened to correct himself. "Not in a bad way. More of an … inside joke kind of way."

Caroline nodded in understanding. "I get it. When Josie eats paint chips, she's Ric's daughter."

"And when she cleans her room?"

"My kid, obviously. And that's not just about shifting blame and taking responsibility for the good stuff, either. Ric's a total slob, so she had to learn that from me."

 _Learn that,_ not  _get that_. He wondered how often Caroline had to modify her language to allow for the fact that her children weren't biologically hers. "So what was Liz like as a mother?"

"She was great. Always busy with work, and I think she kind of regretted that in the end, but she had an important job. I was a bit of a brat for a while there, but she stuck by me and kept trying to mend the relationship. We were close." Caroline paused, scrunching up the third burger's wrapper. Instead of going for the fourth, she turned her attention on the fries.

"How was she with boyfriends?"

Caroline laughed, momentary awkwardness forgotten. "She deliberately left her gun on the kitchen counter one time."

"Unloaded, I assume."

"I goddamn hope so, but it's not like he would've touched it. The first guy I brought home was fifteen, a year older than me, and he was  _so_ terrified of her. I mean, she'd just been made sheriff, and she was super intimidating with her gun and badge and all. In hindsight, it's hilarious."

"Did she scare the other boyfriends?"

"She didn't bother trying with Matt, and he was my first serious boyfriend. She knew him really well, had seen him grow up with his super messed up family and somehow still be a stand-up guy. I think after the trainwrecks I'd brought around before him, she was just glad it was someone that didn't arrive at our house smelling like pot."

Tony almost choked on his drink. "They did that? Your mother was the  _sheriff._ "

"I know. She arrested one for possession, but that was after I stopped seeing him."

"And you never, uh … sampled their goods?"

"I assume you're talking about pot and not sex, and I'd just like to note that, either way, this is not a conversation I ever thought I'd be having with a parent."

 _Parent._ Not quite  _father,_ but more than he'd expected at that point. "Noted, but don't dodge the question. Did you or did you not smoke pot with your high school boyfriends?"

"Once or twice," she admitted, a smile stealing over her face. "It mostly just made me tired and super hungry. I didn't like it so much because it wasted hours of my time and made me fall behind on schoolwork. I preferred keeping my bad girl antics separate from my education."

"So even your rebellious phase was governed by your to-do lists. Nice."

She giggled. "Hey, don't knock my to-do lists. They got me where I am today."

"Well, I for one am glad they did." He really meant it; she was more than he'd been expecting. He could see how she was as successful as she was, could tell she was a good mother just by the way she talked about her kids, could hear how much she'd loved her mother by the fondness with which she talked about her.

"So tell me more about these boyfriends," he prompted. "I missed out on a lot and I'm gonna need catching up. Matt was the first good one, right?"

"Right. And he was  _so_ good. Like, open the door for you ironically while laughing at himself, stock his fridge with your favourite beer—what he could afford, because by the point he was basically living alone—and just making as much room in his life for you as possible. He was an amazing first boyfriend, and we actually stayed friends, which was nice."

"You still talk?"

"Talk? He's the one that convinced me to come here." She paused, considering. "Well, not really. He talked about connecting with his dad after they were estranged for a while, which was a different situation to this, and then he was very 'Oh, hey, make your own decisions' but you could also tell he wanted me to pursue this. Like he thought I'd regret it if I didn't."

"And would you?"

"Obviously. Matt's always right."

Tony snorted. He supposed he owed this guy a fruit basket or something. "So who was after Matt?"

"After Matt was Tyler, which was complicated because Matt and Tyler were best friends and Matt and I hadn't been broken up for that long—"

"Ooh, scandalous."

"Kind of, yeah, but Matt got over it pretty quickly. He got on board soon after that, which made it easier on Tyler and I. We were together for a little longer than Matt and I were, right up until college when he conveniently forgot to show up to school for, like, months."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "He just didn't show?"

"I know, right? He didn't even call me, like a total ass, so I broke up with him and moved on with my life."

"Seems like a good move. Are you still in contact with him?"

Caroline froze, halfway through unwrapping her final burger. "Uh, no, I'm not."

He didn't know what he'd done, but he should've known better. "I'm sorry if that was intrusive, I—"

"No, it wasn't. It makes sense to wonder. It's just that … Tyler's dead."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. "I'm so sorry I brought it up—"

"Hey, no—" Caroline dropped her burger and reached across the table, stopping just short of touching his hand. "You didn't know. And it's okay. It was four years ago now, and we miss him, but … we're all doing okay. Matt and I visit his grave every now and then, but that's all. You don't have to be sorry."

"Yeah, well, can't help it." Tony tried to sound light, but he didn't feel like it worked.

Caroline picked at a fry, prising the crispy skin away from the softer potato within. "I'm guessing you know about Stefan."

"Uh, yeah. Your husband, right?"

"Right. He was after Tyler. Kind of came out of nowhere, but at the same time … it felt inevitable."

Tony remembered Pepper on the rooftop, the city smoking from Vanko and Hammer's attacks as she kissed him. "I know what you mean."

"I guess we have more in common than we thought," said Caroline. Finally done eating, she wiped her fingers on a napkin and started in on the rest of her drink.

"Not our appetite, apparently," Tony commented wryly, just finishing up with his own second burger.

Caroline shrugged. "I eat. A lot." She started piling the rubbish onto the tray. "So, dessert?"

* * *

Frozen yoghurt in hand, they made their way back to the Tower and set themselves up in his living room again, talking about anything from their favourite toppings to Tony's latest project.

"I've been tinkering with the suits a little, but I'm mostly blocked when it comes to other stuff."

"Like writer's block, but for engineers?" Caroline offered. She was trying to understand what he was talking about, but her grasp on science was tenuous at best.

"Kind of like that. I don't know, I just haven't felt all that inspired."

"I think that makes sense. You've had a couple of hard hits lately, from what the news can tell me."

He set his empty yoghurt cup on the arm of the sofa, settling in with his hands linked behind his head. "Yeah, something like that."

"You fought with friends, sacrificed friendships for what you believed in, and here you are. All alone in this Tower. Well, except for Happy. And … you were with Pepper Potts, right? But she's not around anymore."

"We ended things on amicable terms. She's still the CEO of SI."

"But is she your friend?"

Tony sighed. "I don't know what she is anymore."

"Do you maybe wanna talk about it?" Hearing herself, Caroline winced. "I'm sure you talked to Happy and James about it, but I just … I mean, I know that I can't get enough of talking about my break-ups, even years later, so I just thought I'd offer."

"It's fine. It wasn't really all that complicated. She wanted me to stop making the suits—I couldn't. She left. Pretty simple."

"Can I … ask something?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

"Do the suits make you feel safe?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you feel safe with them here? Safer than you would if they weren't?"

"Probably."

"And do you think that that feeling is grounded in reality? Do you think, logically, that you would be more vulnerable if they weren't here?"

"I'm a superhero minus the  _super_. Kind of need the suits to hold my own, so yes. I do think that."

"So, with the understanding that the suits make you feel safe because they  _do_ make you safe, do you think it's fair for someone to ask you to stop?"

"Pepper was trying to—"

"I'm not talking just about Pepper, Tony. I'm saying, in general, do you think that it's fair for you to feel like there's something wrong with your safety?"

Tony went silent for a moment. "I …"

"It's okay if you don't want to answer. I'm thinking out loud more than anything."  _And you might not be ready to be confronted with the answer to that question._ "But, if you ask me, you shouldn't have to be vulnerable to be loved. Not in that way. Also, wow, that got … serious. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he dismissed, but she could hear the hitch in his voice. How often did people talk to him like this?

"You should come visit," Caroline blurted ungracefully.

"You mean, come visit you in Virginia?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. The girls would probably like to meet you. I can take some saliva samples and have my friend run the paternity test if you want, and we can talk about it then. If it's positive, I'll introduce you to them as their grandpa." She winced. "I mean, if you want me to—"

"Yes, absolutely. I want that."

"Good. I'll call you once I get the results."

"And if they're negative?" Tony asked.

Caroline thought on it for a moment. What if the results were negative? What then? "Then I'll just introduce you as a friend of mine," she said.

He looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise. "You'd still want me around if—if it's negative? If I'm not—if we're not related, I mean."

"You know my mom in a way that I never did. I miss her, and you're … tolerable. It makes sense."

" _Tolerable?"_ he asked, mocking offense. "I'll have you know, I'm more than just tolerable."

Caroline let a smirk play over her lips. "We'll see. So you can come and visit at the school, but because there are students there and you aren't really cleared—"

"I can stay nearby, visit during the day," he confirmed. "I'll look into hotels—"

"Don't worry, I know a good one. It's about a 45-minute drive, but it's decent."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great! I'll make the arrangements. Does two weeks from now work for you?"

"I'll make it work."

She rolled her eyes. "You know you can say no to me. You have negotiating power in this relationship—use it."

"If I was negotiating, it'd be sooner, but you need time to get the results and figure out how to talk to your kids, so …"

"Okay, compromise. You come visit in ten days from now, which will be—" She retrieved her phone from the coffee table, opening up her calendar. "A Tuesday. Does that work?"

"I'm sure it will."

"And will you be coming alone?"

"Probably, yes. I might bring Hap, just as a driver—"

"You can bring him as a friend, too," said Caroline. "He seems like a good one to have, and I wouldn't mind it if he was around."

"I'll talk to him about it."

"Good, just let me know. And what about James? No, you call him Rhodey, right?"

"Yes, I do, and no, I don't think he'll be joining us anytime soon."

Right. "You could just apologise for being a dick to him. He might apologise back for going over your head, and then you could be friends again. Surely you've argued before."

"I don't know. This time feels … different."

"Because you've never had a possible kid before? Come on, Tony. You can fix this. He's a good dude in a bad position, and he's gonna need his friends around him. It's been, what, a few months since his injury? Don't abandon him. Not over me."

Tony's fists clenched and unclenched quickly, his relaxed posture maintained but at the cost of his gritting teeth. "I … I don't want to abandon him. I didn't. He just did exactly what I asked him not to, and lied to me about it. I can't let that go."

"Well, find a way. I'm sure he's forgiven you for worse."

A shimmer of mirth rippled behind Tony's eyes. "It's highly likely."

"Then remind yourself of that worse thing, suck it up, and deal. Consider it homework after I leave."

"Yes, Miss Forbes."

"It's Mrs S these days. All the kids at The Armory call me that."

Tony frowned. "Why do you call it that?  _The Armory?_ "

 _Oops_. "It's a joke, mostly. The people that owned the building before us were history geeks that collected a bunch of medieval weaponry and stuff. They called it the Armory, so we do, too. Technically, it's  _The Salvatore Boarding School for Gifted Children_ , but  _The Armory_  is so much shorter."

"Mmm. Makes sense." Tony stretched with his arms over his head and stood, swiping the empty yoghurt cups and heading for the bar-slash-kitchen off to the side of the room to dump them in the trash. "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"Some water. And do you have any snacks?"

He shot her an incredulous look. "Your eating habits are going to be costly to support, aren't they?"

"You can spring for it. Now bring me something salty enough to dry up my tongue, stat."

"Yes, ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all, a quick low-down on why there will sometimes be a bit of a gap between updates: a) my health fluctuates depending on my various disabilities, and sometimes even getting the flu (as I have recently) means that I can't even type without getting exhausted, and b) I have 3 current WIP fics going, as well as my own original works. I try to update each of my fics once a week (this one, an OriginalsxACOTAR one, and a plain old TVD one), which means I'm writing over 20k of stuff weekly aside from the original pieces. Sometimes I have to bump writing and releasing something back a week later than I'd like to. Sorry about that, guys, but I can't really change it! I promise that I'm committed to the story, and if I was taking any major sort of hiatus I'd mention it on my Tumblr @flo-lore-writes, so you can always check there for health-related info. 
> 
> On to more fun stuff! I would reply to your great comments individually but I figure some other readers might want to know? Maybe? I don't know, but here goes. I've plotted some more thanks to all of your suggestions, so I can tell you this so far: 
> 
> Arb's suggestion about touching on the Norse Gods/Mikaelsons' connection (being that they're Vikings) will happen! I haven't planned for it to be major yet, but I've made a note and I'll do it at some point if only because it's GENIUS, so thank you for that. 
> 
> Tony will find out about her vampirism sooner rather than later, sabra.the.sofa.store. Not as soon as you'd all probably like, but I have it planned out and he's gotta be suspicious for a while, you know? (And I can also promise that Tony will take full advantage of as many Twilight-related jokes as he can!)
> 
> In response to your (sabra.the.sofa.store's) second comment, no, you don't sound pushy; I never mind more help with plotting and ideas for crossovers. The band of weird vampires WILL come back into things, and Tony will interact with some of the Mikaelsons in some capacity. It won't quite be running into them accidentally, but it will happen. 
> 
> And to those wondering about ships for Caroline, send me your suggestions! Honestly I can imagine her having chemistry with almost any Avenger (the ladies included, amirite?), so feel free to pass on any ideas you guys have. I'm enjoying plotting this one so freely and openly because my other fics are darker and very intensely plotted (I have a literal timeline spanning over 10 years for Oblivion Hymns, which is more than I've done for my original writing??). I love getting your suggestions, thoughts, and predictions, so go ahead! They'll make the writing go faster, I promise.


	10. Most Of Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! Got the usual health stuff going on, plus extra, which I categorically did NOT need. More notes at the bottom!

 

 

CHAPTER TEN

 

#  _ Most Of Us _

  
  
  


All good things come to an end, all bad things come to an end, and all awkward possible family reunions come to an end, too.

The valet service brought Caroline's car around front for her to load with her bags. She thanked and tipped them, watching them load her bags as Tony's car pulled in across the road. He'd cleaned up his facial hair since they last talked, looking more himself as he strolled across the road with one hand swinging and the other in his pants pocket.

Not that she really knew what he looked like when he was himself, but … he seemed more in possession of his senses than when they'd first met, and that had to count for something.

"Not worried about the paparazzi?" Caroline asked as he came closer, stepping up onto the curb.

"I disabled all digital cameras in a block radius for about five minutes. We should be good."

"I … do not want to know how you did that, or if it's legal."

"To answer the first: easily; as for the second, no, not really, but it's preferable to putting you at risk for being seen with me."

Caroline couldn't help but give a small smile at his concern. "I promise you, I can take care of myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt." His smile brought crinkles around his eyes. "You promise you'll drive safely?"

"To quote my high school driving instructor, I'm an 'annoyingly conscientious driver', so I'm not sure that promises are needed."

"A designation to be proud of, I guess. My driving instructor bailed after one lesson and tried to sue my family for emotional damages."

Caroline laughed. "I'd ask you to promise to drive safe, but I know Happy drove you here like he always does, so …"

"It's really for the best."

The valet finished with her bags, closing the trunk and slipping past them to give them some privacy.

"So," said Tony, hands back in his pockets. "This is it."

"For now," Caroline added. "But I'll see you soon." Heart starting to thud nervously in her chest, she extended a hand towards him. "It's been really great meeting you."

He took her hand in his, shaking it and not letting go. "Likewise. You'll, uh, you'll call me once you have the results?"

"As soon as, yeah." Giving his hand one last squeeze, she dropped it, gripping onto the strap of her handbag instead. "You take care of yourself. And … if you happen to come across Rhodey, please give him my thanks. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't come to me first."

"I'll think about it. You should get on the road."

She scrutinised his face for a moment more, then turned away. "I'll see you soon," she repeated, just to make certain.

Tony answered the question in her tone with a firm nod and an, "Of course." He paused a moment, watching her get in. The window was rolled down, making room for him to lean down onto her door with his head hanging just beside hers. "You'll, uh … Could you text me when you get home safe?"

She hoped her smile was reassuring. "Of course."

Tony stepped back as she started the car. They didn't speak again, but as she looked back through her rearview mirror, he had a hand raised in farewell.

* * *

It was just on dusk when Caroline pulled into the Armory. The lights from the windows along the dorms seemed warmer than usual, a soft orange glow spilling out onto the lawn in rectangles warped and elongated from the angle.

Ric and the girls were already at the front gate. She'd enabled GPS tracking on her phone so they knew how close she was (Lizzie got anxious about these things, needing to constantly check), so they were ready for her with the gate wide open and Ric holding both of the pajama-clad girls by the hand, making sure they kept well out of the way of her car.

Pulling in far enough to leave room for the gate to close, Caroline put the car in park and jumped out just as Ric released his hold on the girls. They tackled her, almost pushing her back down the hill towards the main building—it was only vampire strength that saved her.

"Hey, girls," she said, sniffing a little. She couldn't let them see her cry. They didn't fully understand happy-crying yet, too used to their cartoons showing sadness with tears and nothing else.

"How about we let your mother breathe," an amused Ric said, sauntering closer and leaning against the side of the car.

"No, it's fine," Caroline insisted. "I don't need oxygen." She tightened her grip around the twins, kissing each of them on the tops of their heads. She and Ric shared a tearful look. It'd been a while since either of them had been away from their kids for as long as she had. "Okay, we should probably head inside now," she conceded, letting them go and standing up.

"I'll drive the car 'round back and unload your stuff," said Ric, shooing them out of the way so he could get to the drivers' side. "You girls walk on inside."

"Thank you," Caroline side, pulling the girls up in her arms so they were balanced on either hip. They were getting too big to be held both at once, but she was strong enough to support them. "Let's go see what's for dinner, shall we?"

She led them inside, their path lit with the red of the car's taillights and the girls' twin shrieks of laughter.

* * *

Once all the kids were in bed and Caroline finally had a chance to breathe, a bath was all she could think of. A long one, complete with rose petals and a cup of tea. She'd go for wine, but they didn't drink in the Armory.

Just as she'd sunk into the bubbles, there was a knock at her bedroom door. A quick sniff of the air told her who it was, so she called, "Come in!"

Bonnie entered her room, then the bathroom, smirking at the sight of her relaxing. "You look pleased with yourself."

"I am. How are you?"

"I'm good. Work's been harder while you've been gone, if only because there's one less set of eyes on the twins."

Caroline chuckled. "God, I'm sorry about them. They're a real handful."

"Try two handfuls." Bonnie settled in on the tile beside the bath, resting one arm on the porcelain edge. "What was he like?"

Caroline took a sip of her tea to give herself time to consider her answer. "Not what I expected."

"And what did you expect?"

"Just more, I guess? And not in a good way. I expected him to be showier or something. He's got more money than god, so I figured he'd be flashing his cash and showing me a good time."

"He didn't show you a good time?"

"Yeah, but in a different way. The first night, he took me to a shawarma place. Not really fancy, though he had a private room at the back. He was on a first name basis with all the staff. There were some weird security precautions, but other than that it felt so  _normal_."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah. Well, it was, until I freaked out on him and ran for the hills."

Bonnie sighed. "Well, we could've seen that one coming. It's a Caroline Forbes specialty. Did you at least go back?"

"I did. I explained that him being concerned about me living with and having kids with my high school history teacher was probably not irrational, so I gave him the usual story we give humans, surrogacy and all."

"What, no magical baby stories?" Bonnie's smirk took over her entire face.

"No, not just yet. We hung out some more after that, and I told him that even if the paternity test turns up negative we can still hang out."

"Well, he did know your mom. It'd be nice to hear stories and stuff."

"That's what I thought. So he's coming to visit in a week or so, but I'll call him with the results before then."

"He's coming here?"

"He might stop by, but he's staying somewhere else. I'd rather not bring him in to stay if we then have to tell the kids to hide their magic and stuff. That's not really what we built this place for."

"Good point." Bonnie shifted a little, obviously uncomfortable with her ass on the cold, hard tile.

"We can wait until I'm done and snuggle in the bed if you'd prefer," said Caroline, tone amused.

"Nope, I'm good."

"If you say so." Caroline eyed Bonnie, the tapping of her fingers, the hitch in her breathing. "What's going on with you?"

"Didn't you already ask that?"

"Apparently you didn't answer it properly. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, it's just—" Bonnie shook her head. "You know what? You're busy enough as it is—"

"Bonnie Morgan Bennet, you tell me what's going on right now," said Caroline, putting on her best Mom Voice.

"Nothing's going on yet, I've just …" Bonnie sighed, glancing around as though to check they were really alone. She leaned back in, voice lowered as she said, "I've been thinking about talking to Valerie about having a baby."

Caroline sat bolt upright in the bath, bubbles flying. "No!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Really? Oh my god,  _Bon—_ "

"Shh." Bonnie waved her hands in Caroline's direction, trying to convince her to settle. "I haven't broached the topic yet. It's just something I've been considering."

Forcing herself to calm, Caroline asked, "Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I think it's complicated, you know? I know she loves kids, but whether or not she'd want to try for any of her own again after everything that's happened is a different thing. I don't really wanna assume anything."

"She's your wife, Bon. You don't have to make assumptions when you can just ask her."

"I know, I know. It's just that things are going really well right now. We're in a good place, better than either of us have been in a long time, and I don't want to change that."

"Bon, if talking about something that matters to you upsets the balance, you weren't in that good of a place to begin with. You're married, you're partners, and you don't have to bite your tongues around each other. Believe me, I'd be saying the same thing to Valerie if she came to me about this."

Bonnie sighed. "You're probably right."

"Probably? Et tu, bitch." Caroline splashed suds at Bonnie, shooing her away. "Go and talk to your wife. She's a really good listener, I promise."

"Fine," said Bonnie, rolling to her feet and throwing in an eye roll for good measure. "Have fun with your …" She scooped up the bottle of bath oil Caroline had used, squinting to read the small print on the generic label. " _Fun time tub-soaking nectar_." She smirked at Caroline. "You get this when we were still strapped for cash?"

"It happens to be the best-smelling actually," Caroline defended. "I think I'll switch to it full time. Have every room stocked with it. Even yours."

Bonnie snorted. "Oh, please. Valerie doesn't let anything liquid touch her skin unless it arrives to her in a glass bottle from somewhere in Europe."

"No liquids at all? You know, there's a very bad place I could take that comment, but I won't."

"Do they make  _fun time tub-soaking nectar_ to help cleanse dirty minds?"

"Yeah, but it's in pill form."

"Let me know if you need me to pop into town and fill your prescription for you."

Caroline splashed her again. "Fuck off, Bonnie."

Bon ran from the room laughing and wiping suds off her ass.

Sighing, Caroline settled back into the water. It was good to be home.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear on the Manhattan streets. Tony made it a rule to never be up early enough to admire this kind of light (not unless he hadn't yet gone to bed), but he made an exception that day. He had a bag full of bagels tucked under one arm, a full night of sleep behind him, and a mission to complete.

Rhodey's loft hadn't been wheelchair accessible, so after his injury Tony had taken the liberty of kitting out a brownstone for him downtown. It was a bigger space to wheel around in, and once all the doors had been widened and the tub inset into the floor it was practically the perfect space. Rhodey had only accepted it begrudgingly, of course, and with Tony reassuring him that it was coming out of Avengers-related funds. He had been injured at work, after all.

Tony knew that Rhodey knew that he'd designed the whole remodel and overseen construction down to the smallest detail. They both pretended they weren't aware that the other was aware of it, and it had worked pretty well for them so far.

The ramp zig-zagged around the front of the house to give it more length to climb up to the front door without breaching the maximum incline. Rhodey's chair could take a lot more—hell, Tony had designed it with rough terrain in mind—but it was best that it all be above code. As Tony made his way up the ramp he was tempted to vault over the railing and make it quicker. He sucked it up and zig-zagged, arriving at the front door with the bagels a little squashed under her arm.

He pressed the doorbell twice and stepped back to wait. He was usually much more annoying, but he'd gotten up this early to catch Rhodey in his best mood of the day. He wasn't about to ruin it by being his usual self and ringing the doorbell until it broke.

Rhodey answered the door in his chair, a granola bar in one hand. "Tony," he greeted, tone cautious. "Didn't expect to see you today. Or in the early morning light. Ever."

Tony cracked a smile, holding the bag aloft. "Bagel?"

* * *

The Salvatore Boarding House was cleaner than Caroline had ever seen it. The lawn was well-kept, the gardens lush and neat. There was even a welcome mat she hadn't seen the last time she visited.

That was months ago, though. Caroline and Elena mostly met in town.

Not bothering to knock, Caroline unlocked the door with the key from under one of the flowerpots out front and let herself in. The interior wasn't nearly as pristine, the scent of bourbon permeating the air.

Oh, good. Damon was home.

Caroline avoided the kitchen where she could hear him frying up pancakes, instead ducking upstairs to where she could hear Elena's heart beating steadily. She rapped on the bedroom door but opened it before hearing a reply.

"Hey, Care," said Elena, half-dressed in her scrubs. "You bring the samples?"

"Got 'em right here," said Caroline, pulling the box out of her purse. "It's no rush, really, but—"

"Hey, I get it. You wanna know if this guy's your dad." She took the box from Caroline and tucked it into her own oversized tote-bag. "I'll make sure they rush it through for you when I go back for my shift tonight. A friend of mine can do it on his lunch break, so you won't even have to pay for it."

"Thanks, Elena."

Divested of her scrubs, Elena took her hair out and began running a brush through it. "Bon said you went out of town to meet him?"

"Uh, yeah." As far as Elena knew it was just a random guy—Caroline hadn't quite covered the whole 'Tony Stark is my maybe-dad' part, just keeping it vague. She didn't want to tell Elena anything she didn't want Damon to know, since Elena told Damon everything. She didn't really want to deal with Damon's thoughts on the topic just yet, not when she didn't know for sure. "It went okay. I gotta run, but wanna catch up soon? Our usual spot?"

"We hardly meet up anymore, so I don't know if I'd classify it as 'usual'," said Elena. She obviously tried to keep her tone light, but there was a hint of accusation this time. "But yeah, that sounds good to me. I'm gonna grab a shower and then collapse into bed, but I think Damon's making breakfast if you want it."

"Thanks, but it's 9am and I ate three granola bars when I woke up four hours ago." Caroline made sure to give her a tight squeeze when she hugged her goodbye, then scarpered out of the house before Damon even knew she'd been there.

* * *

Tony had almost forgotten how unbelievably comfortable Rhodey's sofas were. He'd slept on them while overseeing the construction, insisting that Rhodey should have nothing but the most comfortable furniture to outfit his new home, but he'd forgotten just what it felt like when the buttery leather gave way, not too much, just the right amount to feel like an embrace—

"Are you going to start making out with my sofa?"

Tony snapped back to the present. "What? No."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "I always forget how obsessed with it you are." He grunted as he lifted himself from his chair, taking three steps over to sit in the sofa across from Tony. "Why don't you just buy one for yourself?"

"If you eat ice cream every day, you get a belly ache. If you eat it once in a while, you get to enjoy it."

Sighing heavily, Rhodey sat back in his chair. "What do you want, Tony?"

_World peace,_ he almost said.  _A positive result on the paternity test. A tub of rocky road ice cream._ Instead, he said, "I like to be in control of things. I'm … well, you know how I am. Not a lot of people guess that someone as sloppy and bad-mannered as me is a control freak, but I am. I don't like things happening that I can't predict—never have, but it's gotten a lot worse lately. Since Afghanistan."

"You're not telling me anything I don't know, Tony."

"But I am admitting it, and that's never happened. Unless I was drunk at the time, in which case it doesn't count."

Rhodey didn't even smirk.

Tony groaned, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "When you went to Caroline, I freaked out. I said a lot of stuff I shouldn't have, and instead of working through how I was feeling about the prospect of being a father I tried to shut down the conversation, and … and to shut down our friendship. Which is ridiculous, because we've known each other for long enough that nothing should be able to do that, but in that moment … I really thought that it was over. You and me. We're a team, we're brothers, but something snapped." He took a deep breath, trying to center himself. "Whatever it was, I'm here to fix it. Because I'm sorry. And also because Caroline really liked you and she told me that if I didn't make things up with you I'd regret it, and I'm inclined to believe her."

"So you're here because she told you to come?"

"I would've come here eventually. She just gave me the push I needed. But you'd know all about that."

"You are a lazy asshole when it comes to doing things that are good for you."

Tony cracked a smile. "And being friends with you is good for me?"

Rhodey snorted. "Obviously."

"So what do I have to do to make it up to you? Come on, hit me. Anything you want. A car? A jet? An island?"

"You can't buy my forgiveness, Tony. And honestly, I knew what I was getting in for when I went to her about you. I knew you'd be pissed. I didn't think about how pissed, so much, but I knew."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"No, it sure as hell doesn't, but it's not like your tantrum came out of nowhere. And it's also not like we haven't had some pretty epic fights before."

Tony winced at the memories of their previous fights, suits and all. "True. But this was different. Things with Caroline are different."

Raising an eyebrow, Rhodey looked at Tony like a scientist might peer down a microscope. "She's really something, huh?"

"She can sure as hell hold her own with me, that's for sure. So, do you … do you forgive me?"

"I forgave you before you even did it. That doesn't mean it'll be easy to forget, but if things are looking up with Caroline, I'll write it off as a job well done on my part."

"You know you shouldn't have to feel like you're putting yourself in the line of fire just to help me." It was a sore subject, but the reality was that Rhodey wouldn't be in this position, no more than three feet from his wheelchair at all times, if it wasn't for his friendship with Tony.

"I know that. That doesn't mean it isn't worth it, or that you wouldn't do the same for me if I had a secret daughter. You do know that she's your kid, right?"

"She took saliva samples back with her. She's getting them checked out by a friend of hers and calling me when she has the results."

"You didn't want to do that yourself for privacy reasons?"

"She seemed determined to do it on her own and I wanted to give her control. She's a control freak too, apparently, though it's a bit more obvious."

Rhodey chuckled. "Her desk was the messiest fucking thing I've ever seen, and I've spent plenty of time in your workshop. Are we sure the paternity test is strictly necessary?"

Tony shrugged. "She wanted it and I saw no reason to make things more complicated than they had to be."

"And if it's a no?"

"She said I can still visit, we can still talk. I knew her mom, so she still wants to be able to talk to me. I didn't complain."

"She's really something, isn't she?"

Tony couldn't help the grin that stole over his mouth. "She drank booze like water and had a blow-up at our first dinner."

Rhodey's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. Almost fell on her ass. I mean, I was being a douche, and we made up after, but it was definitely right out of the Tony Stark Textbook."

"Good god, another Tony Stark," said Rhodey, looking aghast. "I don't think we'll survive it."

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a noisy affair, as always. Caroline had taken an early trip into the nearest town to get more gluten free bread after it was discovered (to everyone's horror) that they'd run out, and had subsequently had to fly back into town for more barbeque sauce. They'd had to skimp on their last orders of food for financial reasons, and boy was she looking forward to ordering whatever she needed without worry next month.

With the kids all ferried off into their Saturday morning activities, Caroline checked that no additional help was needed in the clean-up (she needed to hire more staff, really, but those they had at the moment were doing all right). Ric found her on the way back to her room to wash out the egg she'd gotten in her hair courtesy of Josie's wildly flapping hands.

"Hey," he said, jogging to catch up with her. They were both dressed more casually than during the week, wearing jeans and T-shirts with sneakers. Ric looked a little hardier, though, and ready for the trek he had planned with some of the older kids that afternoon. "You got the results yet?"

"Ah, no." Caroline patted the phone in her back pocket subconsciously. "Still waiting for Elena to call."

He grinned. "You look nervous. What result are you hoping for?"

"An accurate one," she said, avoiding the subject. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, actually. Do you mind?" She motioned towards her bedroom door just down the hall. "I just have to de-egg my hair."

"Josie got you good, didn't she?" he asked, following her down the hall.

"She always does," she replied. She unlocked her door and left it open for him to follow her, toeing off her shoes and ducking into her bathroom while he settled on the bed, just in her line of sight as she stood in front of the mirror.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Caroline flicked on the tap and separated the eggy segment of hair from the rest. "New workers, mostly. Some for the kitchen, some for the janitorial staff. Maybe a new teacher or two, just so there's more freedom with people's schedules. I worry that people feel like they can't take time off, y'know? I don't really want to run things like that."

"Sounds good to me, but are we sure that the money will keep coming in? We can't really hire new people if we don't know it's sustainable."

"Well, I was thinking, if we call up Vincent and let him know that we've kicked things up a gear he might be able to put the word out to other covens that we're available to take on more difficult kids that can't be mainstreamed, and that we'd be willing to employ members of those covens." A lot of covens weren't happy with giving up control of their children's education, especially given that covens had their own specialities and quirks to their magic on the whole. Most of their students were kids of humans without access to their magic, or kids that weren't controllable in their covens at all. "And we can always ask for more money, you know. Tony''s always willing to invest in the school."

"He said that?"

"No, but I know he is." Caroline bent double to put her hair under the spray of water. "Parting with money isn't a big deal to him; kids having proper educational opportunities is."

"He doesn't know what we really do here, though. What if he wants a tour? A demonstration?"

"Valerie can cast spells to hide the magical aspects of the school if we have to. We've trialled them, and they work. And asking Tony for money would only be a last resort. The school can rely on donations, but it's better if our primary source is tuition fees."

"I guess it makes sense. Do you want to call Vincent, or wait 'till your annual meeting with him and Marcel in a few months?"

Confident that the egg had been expelled, Caroline switched the tap off and grabbed a nearby towel to rub her hair with. "I'll call him sometime, see what he has to say. He might have some valuable insight." She scrubbed a little more furiously. "Who are we kidding? He definitely has valuable insight. I don't know why I don't call him to help me make every decision I face."

"Because if you make him act like your shrink, he'll charge you."

Caroline flicked the towel at him. "Ha-ha. Fine, I'll just call him about this. Do you want to join the conversation?"

"Do you think I need to?" At her shrug, he said, "I think I'll leave you two to catch up. You can always conference me in if you need anything, but there's nothing I know that you don't." He pushed himself up off the bed. "I gotta go check that the food is packed for our hike today. Let me know if you get any news from Elena?"

"I will," she promised, watching him go.

Left faced with her own reflection, Caroline growled and grabbed a brush. She made it halfway through madly brushing her curls until they were loose and fluffier than she wanted before her phone buzzed in her back pocket.

Throwing her brush into the sink, Caroline pulled the phone out.

_Elena Calling …_

* * *

Tony woke to FRIDAY's voice, dropped down to a volume he could tolerate when hungover (even though he wasn't, he'd set her to always to that when he woke).

" _Caroline Forbes-Salvatore for you, boss."_

Running his fingers through his hair, Tony sat up in bed. "Answer." He heard the click, then Caroline breathing on the other end.

" _Hello?"_ she said. " _It's Caroline."_

"Aren't you a … sound for sore ears," he finished awkwardly, because apparently he'd forgotten how to talk. "How are things?"

"Positive," she said, cutting right to it. "The results are positive."

_Thank god._ "That's … that's good to know, right?"

" _I think I'll just settle for good, thanks."_ She sounded happy, her voice thick as she asked, " _So are you coming to meet your grandkids or what?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I have the next few chapters mapped out, but I'm still open to suggestions! I love hearing from you guys. 
> 
> I'm also participating in "30 Days of Gay" this November, something I completely made up because I wanted to do it and no one else had invented it yet. I'll be writing f/f ships (set in the TVD/Originals world) on here and taking prompts via my Originals-focused side-blog on Tumblr, @the-casket-girls, so if you guys have any specific requests, feel free to drop by! I'm doing this instead of NaNoWriMo because I write 50k a month anyway between all of my ongoing fics. I also wanted to provide some more f/f fics because they're so sparse in fandom and it's important to me that we keep the lady-love alive. 
> 
> (And don't worry, I'll still be updating this fic and others during November. 30 Days of Gay is a side-gig. Reviews always help with motivation, though!)


	11. Through Corrupted Lungs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait! I am trying to stay on top of things ("trying" being the operative word).

 

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

#  _ Through Corrupted Lungs _

  
  


 

 

 

"What colour car is he comin' in?" asked Lizzie, fingers twisting her braids around in front of her chin.

"I'm not sure, sweetie," Caroline replied, meeting Ric's gaze over the tops of the girls' heads. They'd been waiting by the gate for ten minutes now, Tony due to arrive any moment. The girls were buzzing with nervous energy that Caroline could definitely relate to. They'd responded reasonably well to the explanation about their grandfather, Josie bouncing up and down with glee at the thought. Lizzie, however, was a tad more reticent.

"Daddy! Show me your watch!" said Josie.

Caroline winced. "Josie, what do we say?"

"Sorry, Mommy." Turning back to her father, Josie said, "Show me your watch, you coward!"

Caroline buried her face in her hands even as Ric starting laughing.

"That's your fault, you know," he said, and it was true. Caroline probably used that kind of approach far too liberally when on the phone with textbook suppliers and the like. "Josie," Ric continued, "I want you to say please."

"Please!"

Finally giving in, Ric lowered his hand to let Josie see his watch.

"The little hand is almost at the six," Josie reported.

"That means he should be here soon, right?" Lizzie asked, blue eyes wide as she looked up at her mother.

Caroline reached down to wipe some dirt off her cheek. "Maybe. But sometimes people run late, and that's—"

"He's here!" exclaimed Josie, diving forward. Ric caught her up in his arms, giving her a stern reminder about not running towards moving vehicles.

Caroline double-checked that Lizzie was still off to one side before stepping forward and unlocking the gate, raising a hand in greeting. Tony was driving, so it seemed that no Happy would be joining them.

Gate open, Caroline rejoined her family, Lizzie clinging to her leg as soon as it was within her reach again. Tony drove in, leaving just enough room for the gate to be closed behind his car before coming to a halt and opening his door with a broad grin, already tucking his shades into his pocket.

"Can I go, Daddy? Can I go?" asked Josie, wriggling in Ric's arms. "Please?"

"Sure," laughed Ric, letting her drop to the ground. She raced for Tony, stopping right in front of him and looking up.

"My mom said you're my grandpa," she said, hands fisted in her skirt.

Tony knelt down so they were at the same level. "Well, that's funny, because your mom said you're my granddaughter."

Josie tilted her head to the side, considering. "Well, our stories can be corroborob—cobboro—" She sighed. "Cor-rob-or-at-ed."

"That's very true," said Tony, smile stealing over his lips. "But you know how we'd check to know for sure, right?"

"How?" asked Josie, enraptured.

"Well, not many people know this, but granddaughters give the best hugs. So if you hug me, and it's the best hug I've ever had, it means it's true."

"That sounds silly!"

Caroline and Alaric exchanged an amused glance as Lizzie burrowed even closer into Caroline.

"It's very scientific," said Tony. "Aren't you even going to try?"

Josie hummed to herself, scratching her chin. "If it's science, then maybe."

"Okay, I'm ready." Tony made a show of bracing himself, opening his arms up.

Lurching forward without warning, Josie slung her arms around his neck, squeezing in a way that couldn't be comfortable. Tony wrapped her up in turn, hugging her right back until she let go and stepped back.

"Well?" asked Josie.

"That … was the best hug I've ever had."

"Mommy!" said Josie excitedly, jumping up and down. "He's my grandpa!"

"I know, sweetheart," said Caroline, finally meeting Tony's gaze as he stood and walked over to her. "Lizzie? Are you gonna say hi to your grandpa?"

Lizzie turned her head into Caroline's leg, not moving. Caroline mouthed "nervous" to Tony, who nodded understandingly.

"It's good to see you," he said, pulling her in for an awkward sideways hug so as not to disturb Lizzie.

"You, too," said Caroline, hugging him back. She pulled away, gesturing towards Ric. "This is Alaric Saltzman. I believe you've heard of him."

"At length," Tony confirmed, extending his hand for Ric to shake.

"Good things, I hope?" Ric asked.

"I'll never tell." Tony smirked, pulling back to find Josie at his side again, beaming up at him. "I, uh, don't know where you want me to park—"

"I'll do it for you," said Ric.

"He's our valet, apparently," said Caroline, running her fingers through Lizzie's hair. "And he'd kill to drive your car, even for a while."

"Hey, I've been saddled with a minivan for the past six years," Ric defended. "Give me a break."

"It's all yours," said Tony, wincing in sympathy.

Caroline tried to walk, finding Lizzie uncooperative. "We'll meet you inside," she told Ric, bending down to scoop Lizzie up and follow Tony and Josie, who were already deep in conversation about why it's bad to eat candy in the minivan, a lesson learned months ago but which Josie hadn't yet forgotten.

* * *

The dining room they'd set up for the family lunch had once been a briefing room for the Armory. They'd had to take the whiteboards off the walls and put them up in classrooms, repaint the walls, rip up ratty old carpeting to reveal nice pine floorboards like in the rest of the Armory, and just generally spruce it up.

Now it served as a nicer dining area whenever they needed one other than the cafeteria, which wasn't often. The plan was to use it twice that day, once for lunch with just the five of them and again that night when Elena, Damon, Bonnie, Valerie, Matt, and Jeremy joined them. Oh, joy.

"Lunch should be soon," said Caroline, setting Lizzie on one of the chairs with cushions on them to give her some extra height. "We can bring it up from the kitchen on a cart."

"Sounds good," said Tony. He was already being commandeered by Josie, who wanted him to look at some of the drawings she'd put in there just so he'd see them. He made the appropriate comments, praising her skills and listening to her describe the scenes in agonising detail.

"Aunt Bonnie said that it's the best drawing of a summoning sigil she's ever seen."

"A summoning sigil?" asked Tony, interest obviously piqued.

"Bon's a bit alternative," Caroline interrupted. No way were they ready to have the 'magic is real' talk yet, even if Tony did have experience with some otherworldly stuff. "Show him the one you did of your bookshelf, Josie."

The conversation continued, unfolding as Caroline predicted it would and leaving her to sit next to Lizzie. "What's going on, sweetie?" she asked. "You don't seem very happy."

"I'm okay," said Lizzie. "Just sleepy."

Caroline didn't think she was telling the truth, but she didn't push it. Lizzie was sensitive, and having someone new around was bound to set her off. She'd get used to it, though.

At least, Caroline hoped she would.

* * *

Ric brought the cart up when he returned inside, dishes rattling as he brought it to a halt. "Bon appetit," he said, flourishing his hand and making the girls laugh.

"Come on, girls," said Caroline, standing. "Let's go wash our hands."

"What about Grandpa?" asked Josie, looking at Tony with a cute little crease between her eyebrows.

Tony fought the urge to grin, simply nodding back at her seriously. "Grandpas always have clean hands. It's something that happens when you're old."

"Woah," said Josie. "I can't wait 'til I'm old. When will I be old, Mommy?"

"Not for a long time," said Caroline, glaring over her shoulder at Tony as she guided the girls out, leaving he and Ric alone with each other.

"I take it that wasn't a good thing to say?" Tony asked, part of him starting to doubt.

"Nah, you're fine." Ric started setting the plates out at each spot, then grabbed the big platter of sandwiches and set it right in the middle. "Josie's just got a long memory, is all. She'll be asking if she's old yet for a while."

"Hygiene is that terrible, huh?"

Ric grinned. "When you're a kid, anything good for you is terrible. You should hear them scream about naptime."

"God, I'd kill for a regular naptime."

"I know, right?" Ric settled into his chair, right across from Tony. "You never know what you got 'til it's gone."

"Ain't that the truth."

Josie came running back down the hallway, the sound of her mother's protests chasing her into the room.

"No running, Josie," said Ric. "You know the rules. If you do it again, you lose half an hour of screen time."

"Fine," Josie huffed, a true insight into her teenage years. Her face lit up at the sight of Tony as she bounded over and returned to her place beside him, eyes wide at the sight of the sandwiches. "We're gonna eat all of those?"

"We're going to try," said Caroline, finally returning with Lizzie in tow. She settled her in next to Ric, taking up the other side of her. Lizzie avoided Tony's gaze like it was her job, and he tried not to be offended. The kid was shy; it was fine.

"All right," said Ric. "Let's dig in."

* * *

The girls went down for their usual nap and quiet time at 2pm, leaving the grown-ups to occupy one of the smaller study areas for themselves and talk. It was a simple space, just a table and some comfortable chairs.

"I'm sure Caroline already said this," began Ric, tapping his fingers on the vinyl table-top. "But, uh, thanks for your donation to the school. We appreciated it."

"Glad to do it—seems like a worthy cause, even without Caroline here."

"Ric's really the mastermind, honestly," Caroline contributed. "It was his idea in the first place. Something we could invest in, for the girls and kids like them. And it's working well."

"I can see that." Tony seemed honest, or about as open as he got. "I was wondering—and this might be a bit premature—but I was wondering if you guys would consider coming to stay with me for the summer. There are obviously a few factors to consider, the two major ones asleep down the hall, but you'd all be on break from school and work and it might be good to get away for a while."

"What, like, stay with you in the Tower?" Caroline asked, exchanging a quick look with Ric. There would be no storing blood bags for her to snack on in the Tower.

"I was thinking that, but we could try somewhere else. Anywhere you want to go, my treat. Except maybe Asgard. I haven't heard from Thor for a while, so that might not be possible."

"There goes our dream vacation," said Ric.

Caroline laughed nervously. "I … we can talk about it. Lizzie would need to get more comfortable with things—"

"Oh, of course. Obviously."

"Maybe if we stayed somewhere else," began Ric. "Just to give Lizzie her own space, let her get familiar with it and then have all get-togethers outside of that so she knows she can get time on her own if she needs it."

"That could work," said Caroline. She could store blood in the bar fridge and compel the workers, too, something she didn't want to do with Tony. "I'll see where we're at as we get closer to it, but if Lizzie feels comfortable, we'll definitely consider it."

"Sounds good," said Tony, tone neutral, if a little cold. God, she hoped he wasn't disappointed.

"We could do a tour," suggested Ric. "Valerie's in the room next to the girls', so if they need anything she'll know."

"A tour sounds good!" said Caroline, jumping at the chance to have anything else to focus on. "You can see the herb garden the kids keep threatening to grow weed in."

"The garden of legend," Tony said, nodding. "Lead on."

* * *

The tour went well. Tony identified no less than twenty ways to improve their security (of which there seemed to be little), but he kept quiet. He wasn't there to consult, and the last thing he wanted to do was come in critically.

Valerie and Bonnie joined them after the tour, twins in tow. Josie attached herself to Tony, dragging him to see the room she shared with Lizzie, giving him the most excited rant he'd ever been on the receiving end of.

"An' here is Mr Snugs, my best friend—other than Lizzie and Oliver and Aunt Bon, of course. An' over there is all of our books—we're allowed to pick one each for Mommy or Daddy to read every night. My favourite is  _Pig the Pug_ , but my second favourite is  _Are You My Mother?_  and my  _third_ favourite is—"

"Okay, sweetie, how about we go wash our hands and start setting the table for dinner?" Caroline interjected, masterfully redirecting the girls down the hall with Valerie.

"Ric's just down talking to the chef," said Caroline. "We'll meet the girls in the dining room." Caroline led them down the hall, heels clicking and ponytail swaying.

She was comfortable here—Tony could tell. Not nerve-ridden or awkward like in New York, not tipsy on wine like at their first dinner, not falling over herself to justify her behaviour with long-winded explanations. This was her home. She was happy here.

"Hey, Bon, have you heard from Elle?" asked Caroline, bumping the door to the dining room open with her hip. "She's supervising the little ones today, right?"

"She texted," Bonnie confirmed, raising her phone in her hand. "She said things are going fine. You can go check on them if you want, but—"

"No, it's fine. I trust her."

"You should," said Bonnie, grinning as she perched atop the table, legs swinging. "You mentored her."

"Oh?" asked Tony, dropping back into the chair he'd occupied at lunch. "And what does that entail?"

"It's no big deal," Caroline deferred humbly, sitting down as well. "I just altered the course of her life for the better and changed her life forever."

"Such humility," Bonnie praised. "I'm in awe. I assume she gets that from you?"

It took Tony a moment to realise she was talking to him. "I'm sure you've heard all about my humble exploits."

"Oh, yeah," said Bonnie. "Starting with that big ass tower in New York with your name on it. Compensating for something?"

"Bonnie," Caroline objected through her laughter. "Sorry, Tony. Bonnie was born in a barn, apparently."

"Oh, please. I've drunk with Asgardians. Nothing shocks me anymore."

"Then answer the question," said Bonnie, staring him down from her place on the table.

"Or don't, because the girls are coming back," said Caroline, getting to her feet. "Hi girls! Daddy's bringing the plates and cutlery up in just a minute."

Josie flounced over to Tony, smile wide, while Lizzie grabbed Caroline's skirt and said, "Why is Aunt Bonnie sitting on the table?"

"Because she's very, very naughty," said Caroline, glaring at Bonnie.

"She's right," said Bonnie, jumping down. "I shouldn't have done that, and I'm very sorry that I did."

The change in Bonnie was almost amusing, between joking about Tony "compensating" for something and now talking as though sitting on the table was the greatest sin she'd ever committed.

"Do you wanna sit next to me at the table?" she asked, holding her hand out to Lizzie.

"What about Aunt Valerie? Doesn't she want to sit next to you?"

"I'll sit on the other side," said Valerie, grabbing Lizzie's other hand.

Caroline mouthed a "thank you" to them as they took Lizzie over to the table, seemingly assuaging her fears.

* * *

Matt and Jeremy were on time, thank god. Things with Lizzie were getting a little awkward, but hopefully Matt would be able to perk her up.

Caroline greeted them in the doorway to the dining room, seeing Tony get up from his chair in the corner of her eye. "It's good to see you guys," she said, hoping the panic in her eyes conveyed the situation to them silently but effectively. "This is Tony," she said as he approached, "and Tony, this is Matt and Jeremy. I went to school with them."

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Matt, shaking Tony's hand. Jer followed suit, doing the macho chest-puff thing he always did when he was sizing someone up. Caroline really did try not to roll her eyes around the girls, so she had to look away.

"Aunt Elena's here!" Josie announced from the window, bouncing up and down. Sure enough, Caroline could hear gravel popping under the wheels of Damon's car as it rolled down the driveway.

"I'm just gonna go usher them up," said Caroline, heart suddenly in her throat.  _Oh, god, he's here._ "Won't be a moment."

She marched down the stairs, making it to the front door before they'd even hopped out of the car. It was parked out front, obviously. God forbid Damon park in the designated spots out back instead of blocking the driveway for anyone else that wanted to drive in.

"Hi!" Elena greeted, hopping out of her side of the car but stopping to lean back in and gather her things into her purse.

Caroline reached Damon first, noting that he'd at least made an effort to dress nicely for the occasion.

"You look frazzled," he said, smirking.

"Good to see you too, Damon," she replied, smile stiff as he kissed her cheek and pressed a bottle of wine into her hand. "Thanks for this."

"No problem."

Turning her attention to Elena, blessed Elena, Caroline stepped forward with her arms wide to embrace her.

And then it struck. A burning in her nostrils, in her throat, across any exposed skin like a sunburn being scrubbed with sandpaper. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, could hardly do anything but stumble back, teetering on her heels.

Elena stepped forward, eyes wide with horror, but it got worse, so much worse—

The last thing Caroline heard before everything went black was the shattering of the wine bottle on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews make it come faster!


	12. Setting Fire to Our Insides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another! I'd apologise for the cliffhanger, but I'll probably (definitely) do it again.

 

 

CHAPTER TWELVE

 

#  _ Setting Fire to Our Insides _

 

Cold, hard rock beneath her cheek. Burning in her lungs slowly dissipating.

Damon's ice blue eyes right in front of hers, folding at the edges as he smirked. "Welcome back, blondie. What gives? Been hitting the booze without me?"

Groaning, Caroline tried to sit up, head spinning. "Wha' happened?" she asked, looking around. "It was like—"

"I got a blood bag," said Elena, coming back from inside. "I told Ric you'd be up soon, no big deal. Here you go." As Elena reached toward her to pass her the blood bag, the burning started back up all over again.

Throwing herself backwards, Caroline hit the car with her legs and went skidding along the front of it. "It's you," she said, breathing heavily. Blood dripped from her mouth, probably coming up from her ruined lungs. "Vervain."

"I drank my tea this morning," said Elena, keeping her distance. "I'm not wearing any jewellery. Are you sure?"

Caroline shot her a look. "Have you ever forgotten how vervain burns?"

"Okay, sorry. I just don't get what it would be—" She froze, eyes widening. "I'm wearing new perfume."

"Vervain perfume?" Caroline demanded, voice rough. "And you didn't think to mention that?"

"I didn't know!" Elena insisted. "Damon just bought it for me for my birthday, but I don't wear it out that much and I can't wear it to work around all the patients—"

Caroline slid off the car, wiping the blood from her mouth. "Just leave. Text me what kind of perfume it is on the way."

"Why?" asked Damon.

"If someone's putting vervain in their body products, that's an issue." Caroline spat blood into the nearest garden, giving Elena a wide berth so she could walk back to the car.

"I'm really sorry," said Elena. "I had no idea."

"I know you are. I'm just crabby because I feel like I drank some acid."

"I'll take a picture of the perfume bottle at home."

Caroline nodded, covering her mouth with her hand as she passed where Elena had in the entryway, headed inside.

She got half-way up the stairs before Bonnie found her. "Are you okay?" she asked, eyeing the trail of blood on Caroline's front.

"Elena accidentally wore vervain perfume."

" _Perfume_? I didn't know that was a thing. You look a little weak. Do you want me to get you some blood while you go and change?"

"Elena left a bag of it out front, so if you could move that that'd be great."

"I'll bring one she hasn't touched. Go lie down while I tell Ric and the others that you've come down with a migraine."

Caroline barely had the energy to get to her room, let alone argue about it, so she trailed off in search of blood-free clothes and some peace.

* * *

Valerie entered with a blood bag in hand and a sympathetic look on her face. "Bon told me what happened. Here, sit up."

Caroline forced herself upright and accepted the bag, finding it already open and the tubing arranged just right for her to drink from. "Thank you," she breathed before sealing her lips around it, draining the bag until there was nothing left.

"Better?"

Nodding, Caroline finally pulled herself up and wandered to her closet, shucking off her blouse as she went. "I don't know how to explain the costume change."

"Elena brought a wine bottle and dropped it on the pavement. You got splashed and had to change. Some of it cut her leg so she went home to get it seen to, but it isn't bad and she'll be fine. Oh, and change your trousers, too. If she dropped it on the floor most would get on your jeans."

Caroline tried to ease her jeans down, still a little too dizzy to do it without almost falling over. She grabbed a dress for no reason other than that it seemed the simplest to put on and slipped it over her head.

"You still look weak," Valerie commented. "Maybe you should lie down for a bit."

Caroline was just about to argue when her legs gave out. Valerie caught her before she hit the ground, but the tingling sensation running up her calves made it impossible for her to be set on her feet again.

"I guess you took my suggestion seriously, then," said Valerie, helping her onto the bed.

"I don't know what's happening. Vervain doesn't normally do this."

"Don't panic just yet. We'll figure it out. For now, just get some rest."

Caroline let Valerie tuck her under the covers and fluff her pillows. "God, you're such a nurse," she said, voice fainter than she wanted it. "Tony will want to know what's happening."

"Oh, he's already kicking up a fuss. I can hide the bloody clothes and have him come in and see you before he goes if you want, but I doubt you'll be getting back to the dining room."

Caroline threw her head back against her pillow. "God, this is worse than when I was pregnant and desiccating slowly before my own eyes. I have things to do."

"Yes, like rest and recover. Do you want your father or not?"

"Bring me another blood bag first?" She tried to make it sound like a question, but she knew Valerie would do it.

"Right on it," she confirmed, swiping the bloody shirt and stuffing it in the hamper on her way. "You might want to change into pajamas before he gets here, though. You'll look weird if you changed into a dress just to rest up with your migraine."

Caroline watched her go, having no choice but to admit that she was right.

* * *

By the time Tony came in to check on her, Caroline was three blood bags in and dressed in her pajamas.

"Hey," he greeted, looking around the pastel interior of her bedroom a little awkwardly. "Your friends said you had an allergic reaction to some perfume?"

Caroline tucked her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, so weird. I'm sorry it ruined the dinner."

"Oh, dinner was fine. The girls behaved, and Ric's managing bath-time. He told me to tell you that, by the way."

"We keep each other updated."

"Probably a good idea. May I?" Tony gestured to the end of the bed, waiting for her confirming nod before sitting down gingerly. He eyed her bedcover with suspicion.

Caroline chuckled. "What, are you allergic to paisley?"

"And florals, yes." He fidgeted with his shades where they were tucked into his shirt. "How are you feeling?"

"A little woozy, but I'll recover."

"I didn't know you were asthmatic."

"I'm not."

"Has this happened before?"

"Nope, but there's a first time for everything." Caroline leaned forward, tucking the blankets up under her chin. "You don't have to worry. I'll be fine tomorrow, I'm sure. And Elena promised to throw out that fucking perfume, so we're good to go."

"Talk about a toxic friendship."

"Hey, I love Elena," Caroline protested, unable to help her giggle. "It was Damon that bought the perfume."

"Ugh, typical."

"You've never met him."

"And yet he's already made a terrible impression."

Caroline laughed fully, dissolving into a series of coughs that left her breathless. At least there was no blood. This time.

Tony patted her back until she got the last of the coughs out of her system, reaching for the glass of water on her nightstand so she could take a few gulps.

"Thank you," she rasped, setting it down herself.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make a few calls? I know some people in various medical fields that might have some insight."

"I want to say no, but that would rob me of the joy that comes from watching you call a neurologist because your daughter had a coughing fit."

"Worth it."

"Not really. I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

_No._ "Positive." She made certain that her tone was even and she looked him in the eye. She was a terrible liar under normal circumstances, but it really did matter right then. "You should get going if you want to check in at the motel before the front desk closes."

"Do you need anything? I can bring stuff over tomorrow, maybe."

"Just yourself is fine. I'll see you bright and early."

He gave her a crooked smile. "How about you sleep in. I can always come by later, or hang out with the girls while you rest."

"I'll see what I can do. Thank you for being accommodating."

"Thank you for not choking and dying."

"Ugh, please. I don't have time to die."

Tony laughed. "Right. Sleep well." He stood, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Want me to tuck you in?"

"Thanks, but I'd like to not have nightmares all night about how weird that would be."

"Noted. See you tomorrow."

"Bright and early!" Caroline called after him, voice a little rough.

"Whenever you wake up naturally after a good, decent rest!" was his reply, yelled at her already from halfway down the hall.

* * *

By the time Tony extricated himself from Josie and arrived at the front door, Ric had brought his car around again. He caught the keys tossed at him and thanked him.

"It's no hassle," Ric replied, his grin making certain that Tony knew just how happy he was to drive the Porsche.

"Text me with news tomorrow morning. I don't have to come by so early for the picnic if she isn't up to it."

"I'll make sure she paces herself, but your daughter isn't one for patience."

"I noticed. If she gets any worse, you can call. My number is in her phone, and I know plenty of experts that can help."

Ric smiled placatingly. "Probably not necessary, but thank you for the offer. I'll keep it in mind."

Tony nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing at his feet. He couldn't be certain, but he was fairly sure there was a patch of blood on the gravel. Looking back up, he said, "You know, if there's something going on, you can tell me. I'm here to help."

"There is something going on," said Ric, speaking slowly. "Caroline's having an allergic reaction."

The two men met gazes, neither willing to look away before the other.

"Yeah, okay," Tony finally conceded, stepping back.

"Drive safely."

"You, too." Tony winced. "If you were going to drive anywhere, that is."

Ric chuckled. "Have a good night."

"Yeah, that, too."

* * *

Caroline flicked the hair back from her eyes, scrolling down the web page. It was the official site for Goodman & Castillo Pharmaceuticals, or GCP for short, and featured groundbreaking images such as families walking along the beach hand-in-hand and women laughing at their hand cream. It was tacky and unoriginal advertising for what was apparently some pretty toxic stuff.

"I got everything you asked for," said Valerie, popping into the room with two plastic shopping bags in her hands. She dropped them onto the bed. "The entire GCP range available at the local store. I even got the kids' stuff."

"Thank you." Caroline set her laptop aside and pulled one of the bags onto her lap. "You used the company card?"

"As instructed, though I would've gotten them anyway. Now, how are we doing this?"

"Doing what?" Caroline asked innocently, sifting through the tubes and pots.

"Testing them for vervain. We should wait until this afternoon, once you get back from the picnic. I can ask Bonnie or Jeremy to water down the products for when we test them out on our skin, because whatever you got a whiff of yesterday was pretty powerful."

"Don't I know it." It was barely 8am and Caroline's head still kind of ached, but she was walking better and that was something. "I think Tony and I were going to go out this afternoon, but I might be able to bail. I probably shouldn't overextend myself after last night anyway."

Valerie shot her a look. "You know you don't have to put things on hold with him just because Elena has shitty taste in perfume. We can do this another time."

"No, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because there's a kids' range, Val. If they've put vervain in no tears shampoo, we need to know about it."

Valerie sighed. "Fine. Just … we'll be careful. I'll have Jeremy dilute them while you're out this morning so it's all ready to go. It'll make a fun chemistry project for him."

"You don't have to do this with me."

"Half the work if we both test it, and we're the only vampires here." She gathered up the products, carefully dropping them back into the bag. "You should get dressed. You have a picnic to attend."

* * *

Tony wasn't going to ask any questions.

He'd decided it the night before, on his way to the motel. He'd reaffirmed it in the mirror when he woke up, back a little sore from the mattress that was definitely not his usual memory foam. He'd taken a vow of uninquisitiveness over his morning black coffee, determined not to push the subject.

He'd behave, or something.

God, his back hurt. Maybe he should buy a house out here, just for when he visited. That way he could have whatever mattress he wanted.

The owners of the motel were an older couple, one that knew Caroline well and spoke highly of her. They seemed discreet, giving Tony a room far away from the others, and were very sweet considering. He wasn't used to getting such a warm reception from strangers anymore. Warm smiles from old Carol when she delivered the breakfast cart were a nice change to the damning accusations.

He was due at the Armory by 1oam, so Tony showered, shaved, and took off at 9:30. He arrived early, but not too early, he convinced himself. Was he really someone that arrived early to things? When had that happened?

He knew the answer.

He parked his car around back himself that day, Ric waving him around and meeting him once he'd gotten out of the car. "She's doing fine," Ric said by way of greeting, shaking Tony's hand. "Bit of a headache, but the girls have promised not to yell and hurt her head. We're setting the picnic up in the woods, if you want to help carry stuff."

"Sure."

* * *

"Josie, be careful up there!" Caroline cautioned, watching with alarm as her daughter clambered up a tree.

Ric stood up from where he'd been sitting beside Caroline. "I got it." He jogged towards Josie, ready to catch her if she fell. Lizzie eyed them from where she was playing off to the side, but she didn't get involved.

"He's good with them," Tony commented, picking up a grape and popping it into his mouth. "Not that I'd know."

"You're good with them, too. Ric's just had more practice."

The man in question prodded at Josie's dangling feet, making her squeal.

"How are you feeling?" asked Tony.

"Fine. The fresh air is good." Caroline gave him her most dazzling smile.

"That's good." He went quiet, but she could tell her was thinking. She couldn't even see his eyes through his shades but she knew the gears were turning behind them. "I, uh, saw some blood on the gravel last night. Any chance that was yours?"

Damn. "It was Elena's. She got cut by the bottle. Bonnie didn't tell you?"

"Oh, sure, she did. I guess I just forgot."

"I'm sorry things got cut short last night. It wasn't exactly the fun evening I had planned for us all."

"We can find time for a redo. As long as you're both okay, that's all that matters."

Caroline nodded. "You've been pretty chill here so far. Serene, even."

Tony leaned back on his elbows. "I don't have a whole lot to worry about."

"Must be nice to have a break from all the action."

"Yes and no."

Caroline glanced at him. "It can be hard to decompress after fighting for so long. To just take time and slow down, it's … not always easy."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"I took a few psych classes," Caroline said dismissively. "They weren't for me, but I learned a thing or two." And then there was the whole fighting for her life for five years while monster after monster rolled into town. But he didn't need to hear about that.

"Nice."

"Yeah."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and watched Josie fall into Ric's arms, limbs flailing.

* * *

Caroline hissed the moment the droplet touched her skin, weeping out of the end of the eye-dropper and onto her forearm.

Valerie pulled the dropper away, resting it on a towel. "So that's the body butter vervained, too."

Wiping her arm with a tissue, Caroline said, "Please tell me that's the last of it."

"Yep. We've tried everything, and it's all been toxic. What a joy this has been." Valerie began pouring the vials they had left over down the bathroom sink.

"Is it just me, or is this not regular vervain?" Caroline reached for her glass of blood, downing the rest of it and watching the remaining welts on her arms begin fading. "It's way too potent, even after we watered it down."

"Agreed. So what, this is super vervain?"

"Something like that. Need more blood?"

Valerie shook her head. "Mine are all healed. What now, do you think? We research the company, find out what they know? Who even runs this shit?"

"It could just be the person that invented the recipes, even. Not necessarily whoever runs it. It'll take digging to find out what they know, but if the employees at the factories and all that are exposed to this stuff on a regular basis—"

"They can't be compelled." Valerie paled. "We're really screwed here."

"Agreed." Caroline pulled herself up from the bathroom floor and perched on the edge of the bathtub, tugging the face mask down so it hung around her neck. "Do you think you can pack the vials away for me? I don't think we should even send them to be washed up. Just get rid of them."

"Sure. Do you need anything?"

"Nothing that can't wait. Take a shower, too, and maybe get rid of the clothes you used. We can't be too careful with this stuff."

"Yes, boss." Valerie finished packing the vials in together and closed the box to transport them in.

"Oh, and can you pass me my phone? I need to call Klaus."

Doing as asked, Valerie ducked into Caroline's bedroom and returned with the phone in hand. "You think he can help?"

"I'm sure he'll try, but that's not why I'm calling. His kid is part-vampire, and these assholes have a kids' range."

"Oh, god."

"Yeah," Caroline sighed, scrolling through her contacts. "Be careful with the vials."

"I will. Be careful with Klaus."

Caroline smirked. "Always."

Once she was alone, Caroline dialled.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey, Klaus. Have a minute to talk?"

" _Of course. Just—"_  There were the sounds of muffled talking on the other line, then a door opening and closing. " _All right, I'm here. What's going on?"_

"Have you ever heard of Goodman and Castillo Pharmaceuticals?"

" _Ah, not really. Why?"_

"Because all of their products have vervain in them."

" _And you know this how?"_

Caroline dabbed at some blood that had dripped onto her jeans. "Let's just say I had personal experience."

" _I can look into it, or have it looked into. You're all right, though?"_

"I'm fine. It's just … they have a kids' range, Klaus."

The line buzzed in the silence.

" _And the kids' range is also contaminated?"_

"Yes. I can check which stores stock it in New Orleans—"

" _Thank you for the offer, but I can find out. They won't stock it for long."_

"You should also know that it's more powerful. I don't know what they've done, but I got one whiff of their perfume and blacked out. I was still weak the morning after, and I practically mainlined b-positive overnight."

" _And you've recovered now?"_

"Pretty much. Valerie and I tested the other products after watering them down, and everything they're selling is infected with this stuff."

" _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck."_  A thud. " _I'll … look into it. Find out where it's stocked, who's bought it, how to ruin them for doing this."_

"Don't do anything stupid, Klaus. This is a passable inconvenience, and we don't need a war with people that obviously know what they're doing."

" _Don't worry, I'll consult Elijah."_

"That is not comforting, Klaus."

" _All due respect, Caroline, but your children aren't vampires. They have no ill reaction to vervain. If they did, you might not be cautioning me. You'd be beside me."_

Caroline closed her eyes, rubbing at her temple. The late afternoon sun was blinding through the window, but she needed to keep it open just to air out the bathroom. "You're right. I'm sorry."

" _Don't apologise. Thank you for telling me about this. I can't imagine what would've happened if you hadn't."_ He sounded sincere, and Caroline had learned not to doubt that. " _I'd like to discuss this further with you, but I find I'm in need of calling a family meeting."_

"Go take care of things. We can talk later."

" _I look forward to it. And Caroline, truly, thank you."_

Though he couldn't see her, Caroline smiled. "You're very welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your great comments so far! I see each and every one of them, and they definitely fuel me on.


	13. For Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

#  _ For Fun _

  
  
  


It was with a heavy heart (and a heavy suitcase) that Tony packed his things to leave Virginia. He'd never been particularly enamoured with the state, had never imagined being sad to leave it, but things were different now. Everything was different now.

Stopping by the school for his farewell lunch was something he both dreaded and looked forward to. Bonding with the twins was a goal he'd been making headway on; Lizzie was a little more comfortable with idea of him, no longer actively clinging to her parents to avoid him, and he really did want to push that progress forward. Being an adult with responsibilities sucked sometimes.

Okay, all of the time.

"He can come back and visit," Caroline reminded a weeping Josie, trying to pry her off Tony's leg. "And we can FaceTime, just like we do when Mommy or Daddy goes away."

"I d-don't want him to go-o-o-o," she wept, voice wobbling as much as her bottom lip.

"Hey, peanut," said Tony, kneeling down to ease her off his leg only to have her latch onto his neck. "We'll talk all the time, okay? And you can send me pictures of your drawings, and we can talk on FaceTime, and have so much fun. And we'll be able to hang out soon, I promise."

"How soon?" Josie demanded.

"Well, we're not sure yet, sweetie," said Caroline. "But I promise that as soon as we've figured it out, we'll let you know. Now please let go of Grandpa. He has to go back to his house and do some work, right?"

Josie squeezed a little tighter. "Don't go, Grandpa."

Tony hugged her back. "I would stay if I could, peanut, but I have to get going. How about we talk when I get home, huh? I can show you my robots on FaceTime. Does that sound cool?"

Sniffing a little less, Josie pulled back. "Maybe. What kind of robots?"

"Lots of different kinds. There's one called Dum-E—"

"Mommy, there's a robot named dummy!" Josie exclaimed.

Chuckling, Caroline tugged Josie to her and kissed her temple, keeping an arm firmly around her shoulders. "I heard, sweetie. Now let's get out of the way so Grandpa can hop in his car."

Nodding, Josie let Caroline pick her up and walk back a few steps.

Tone careful, Ric said, "Lizzie? You want to go say bye to your grandpa?"

"Bye," said Lizzie, not moving an inch. She didn't seem unhappy to say it; she just wasn't as devastated as Josie.

Caroline and Ric shared a look, apparently silently communicating in parentspeak.

"May I shake your hand, Lizzie?" asked Tony, stepping forward a little cautiously.

"Like they do in movies?"

"However you like."

"I guess that okay," Lizzie said thoughtfully.

Tony closed the distance and knelt in front of her, hand extended. She took it in her small one, letting him shake it. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Lizzie," said Tony.

Lizzie nodded, withdrawing her hand with a small smile before stepping back beside her father.

Standing, Tony shook Ric's hand, too, then embraced Caroline. She turned to make sure Josie couldn't grab him again from where she was settled on her hip.

"Drive safely and call when you get there."

"I promise on both accounts." He released her, giving Josie a quick bop on the nose that made her giggle.

"Bye!" said Josie, waving already.

"Bye, peanut!" Tony hopped into the car, starting it up.

Josie waved the entire time he backed up out of the driveway, hand never tiring, smile never faltering.

* * *

Tony made good on his word later that evening, FaceTiming Caroline so the girls could see him. She left the phone with Josie and a hesitant Lizzie who didn't want to talk but also didn't want to be kept out of the fun, sitting beside her sister and peeking over occasionally.

Heading down to Bonnie and Valerie's room, Caroline knocked on the doorframe as she entered.

"Valerie still doing lesson planning?" Caroline asked upon finding Bonnie sprawled over the bed with her laptop resting on her thighs.

"I think so. She should be up soon if you need to talk to her about vampire stuff."

"No, nothing like that," Caroline assured her, joining her on the bed. "The girls are just talking to Tony right now."

"How are you coping with that?"

"With what?"

"With, y'know, him being here, then being gone. We haven't had time to talk about it."

"I didn't come here to talk about myself." Caroline craned her neck to spy on Bonnie's screen. "In fact, I'd say you have something much more interesting to talk about. Y'know, what with the fertility and IVF web pages you have open."

Blushing, Bonnie shut the laptop and set it aside. "We've been talking about it."

"And?"

"And, we might give it all a go. We're in a pretty good place for it."

Caroline couldn't contain her grin as she rolled over and tackled Bonnie, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so happy for you," she said, tearing up a little.

Bonnie frowned at her tears, reaching over to grab a box of tissues from the nightstand. "God, Care, don't cry—"

"Don't comfort me, I'm joyful! This is amazing, Bonnie. I'm so happy for both of you."

Bonnie returned her smile, handing her a tissue regardless. "We're happy for us, too."

Sniffing, Caroline wiped her face with the tissue, scrunching it up in her hand. "We should celebrate," she announced. "Maybe go out on the town, have a few drinks while you still can. Just like old times. Us girls, maybe Matt and Jeremy?"

"And Damon, I assume," Bonnie added. "But that sounds amazing. Val and I wanted a chance to tell them all we're trying for it, so that should work."

"Great! Let me get me party planning kit—"

"Care, we'll just go to the Grill. Have some burgers and fries, a ton of beer, and catch cabs home. Maybe if we're really raucous we can get the cops to come, which would be embarrassing for Sheriff Donovan."

"Oh, my god, can you imagine? Now we just have to."

"Do it for the vine!" Bonnie crowed.

"Vine shut down years ago, but I like this energy. Let's keep it up."

"I do hope you're not planning to stay in this bed tonight," Valerie said, appearing in the doorway. She was still wearing her teaching outfit, jeans and a nice blouse and cardigan combo that she pulled off annoyingly well.

"What if I want to have a sleepover?" Caroline complained.

Valerie rolled her eyes, shrugging off her cardigan and hanging it up in the closet. "The last time you had a sleepover in here you literally kicked me out of the bed. I don't bruise easily, but it still hurts."

"Ugh, party pooper. You're acting like a mom already."

The smile that bloomed over Valerie's face was tentative but sincere. "I've had time to learn, and I'll still have time to study."

"That you will, babe," Bonnie agreed. "Now fuck off, Caroline. I want to make out with my wife before we have to go down and chaperone dinner."

Caroline elbowed Bonnie "accidentally" as she rolled off the bed, blowing a kiss to Valerie on her way out.

* * *

The screen went blank, leaving silence. Ric had come to call the girls away for dinner, and that was that.

It was dinner time, Tony reminded himself.

" _Should I send for some dinner, boss?"_

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Tony said, "Make it Thai, and make it greasy. It's going to be a long night."

" _Yes, boss. Anything else?"_

Tony stood, moving over to the platform surrounded by screens of various sizes. It was rare for them to be empty, but he'd cleared them before he left. He had a dozen-odd clean slates dotted around the room, and he knew exactly what he wanted to use them for.

"Yeah," he said. "Get me everything you have on perfume allergies."

* * *

"Danny, you know that's too much mac and cheese," Caroline scolded. "Put some back."

The boy in question grumbled but did as instructed, grabbing two packets of butter for his bread roll before he all but dove for his table. Caroline fought the urge to roll her eyes; supervising lunchtime in the cafeteria was always fun, especially when the kids' eyes got too big for their stomachs.

"So," drawled Valerie, sidling up to Caroline. "Everything's arranged for tonight. Ric's agreed to take the girls and none of us are on shift for supervising dinner. Wear your best dress and get ready to party."

"You didn't have to arrange that," Caroline protested while simultaneously glaring at Danny, who was eyeing someone else's bread roll. "We're celebrating you, too. I can take care of the arrangements."

"I don't mind. I went ahead and called everyone, but Damon will working tonight. Unfortunately, of course."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "I know you don't like him, but you couldn't have found a time when he's available?"

"Bonnie is telling him when they go out for lunch today. He's important to her, but he makes me want to eat him, so having a Damon-free dinner tonight is for the best, don't you agree?"

"I guess. Is Elena still coming?"

"Yes, and she threw out that garbage perfume ages ago, so we should be fine. We're leaving at 7 sharp, so don't be late downstairs. And if you wear mom jeans, I swear—"

"Hey, don't diss them. They're comfortable. Soon you'll be wearing them too."

Valerie's smile was brief and quickly smothered with a glare. "No mom jeans tonight. You'll scare away every single man in a ten-foot radius."

"That is  _so_ not what tonight is about, but fine. I'll wear something nice, but not too nice. I don't want to ruin anything expensive when I throw up on it after hearing you and Bonnie sing duets in the car on the way there."

"We don't have to be good singers, we're in love," Valerie countered. "I've got to go get ready for class, but I'll see you later, right?"

"See you."

* * *

"FRIDAY, how many air fresheners do we have in this building?"

" _Approximately three hundred and seventy-seven. Are you concerned about their ability to trigger asthmatic episodes?"_

Tony swore under his breath. "Caroline is obviously sensitive to these things. She seemed fine when she visited here, but that was only briefly. All it takes is the wrong compound in the wrong room and she's—" He sighed. "I need to clear them and air out the Tower. It should only take a few days, but I need all traces of air fresheners gone. My room might take longer; I'll have to get rid of the cologne, the spray-on deodorants, any shirts and jackets that have been in close contact with them. Hell, ties, too.

"And make a note: We'll have to implement new no-perfume policies for employees, maybe market them as an asthmatic-friendly step to make the workplace more inclusive. I need everyone on board, and I need to be able to tell who isn't. At no point can this building be anything other than safe for my own daughter to breathe in."

" _I can draft the memo right now, boss."_

"Good. I'll need a new wardrobe ready to go, as well as somewhere to stay."

" _Should I book a hotel room?"_

"No," said Tony, double-checking that the files he'd assembled on the screens were saved onto his Starkphone. "I have a better idea."

* * *

Rhodey answered the door in crutches.

"Surprise?" said Tony, tapping his brand new suitcase with his foot.

Rhodey didn't even blink before replying, "This is an overreaction to something, isn't it?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Hope," replied Rhodey, limping back to give Tony space to wheel his suitcase in. "Because it's either an overreaction to something small or an appropriate reaction to something dangerous, and I'd like to think you wouldn't bring danger into the home where I'm currently recovering from the  _last_ danger we dealt with."

"My home is full of VOCs," Tony explained, wheeling his suitcase up the hall and into the guest room he'd claimed as his long ago.

"Are they weapons of some kind?" asked Rhodey, arriving at the doorway just as Tony unzipped his case and started sorting through the new clothes, tucking them into appropriate drawers.

"Might as well be." At Rhodey's impatient look, he elaborated, "Volatile Organic Compounds. They're found in things like paint thinner and perfumes. My home is full of them."

"And they're a problem now because?"

"Because my daughter has asthma. Well, she denied it, but a reaction to perfume had her all but passing out. She had a migraine for hours."

"Shit, Tone. She's okay now, though?"

"Yeah, she's good. Still think it's overreacting?"

"She's your kid. The rules about appropriate reactions are probably different. Not that I'd know. Can we keep talking about your problems in the living room? I gotta sit down, man. These crutches are killing my pits."

"Sure, sure." Tony ducked forward to offer Rhodey his arm for support, helping him down the hall and back into the living room. "There you go."

Rhodey bit back a groan as he finally sat down, relief written over his face.

Tony frowned. "You sure you should be doing those exercises while your physical therapist isn't around?"

"You sure you should be airing out your entire tower without your daughter even knowing that you're doing it for her?"

"Okay, those things are not the same. Need any meds for the pain?"

Rhodey shook his head. "No, it'll pass. I want to drink tonight."

"A plan I can get behind. What've you got in this place?"

"Had the last of my beer the other night. We'll need more."

"No problem," said Tony, phone already in hand. "I know a guy."

* * *

Carpooling with Bonnie and Valerie was always an interesting experience. Caroline rarely sat in the back seat of any vehicle, and it almost reminded her of roadtrips as a kid, way back when her parents were still together. Just less arguing and infidelity.

"Are we there yet?" Caroline quipped, interrupting their duet.

"We'll get there when we get there," Bonnie grouched back, making Valerie laugh. "If you're bored, look out the window."

Caroline chuckled. "Yeah, whatever."

They pulled into the parking lot at the Grill just after 7:45pm. Matt's patrol car was already there, mocking them with its punctuality. There was a sticky note on the bumper with a smiley face scrawled across it; Caroline swiped it, avoiding the sticky edge.

True enough, Matt, Jeremy, and Elena were all inside already. They jumped up to greet them all in turn, everyone falling over each other to hug. Valerie preferred to shake hands, so there was the awkward silence during that. Caroline patted Jeremy's back as they sat down at their table, making sure the sticky note was firmly attached to his shirt.

"We ordered for you guys," said Elena. "Hope you don't mind."

"We're starving, it's fine," Bonnie dismissed. "No perfume tonight?"

Elena winced. "No way. And god, I'm so sorry about that, Care."

"All good, and so not what we're here to talk about."

"Yeah, about that." Matt eyed Caroline suspiciously. "Is there something going on?"

"With me? No, nothing. Just the usual dad drama." Bonnie and Valerie hadn't really told her how they wanted to break the news to everyone else, so she tried to at least give them an opening. "How is everyone else doing?"

Shrugs were given all around the table.

"Work is kicking my ass," said Elena.

Matt nodded. "Same here."

"Same here," said Jeremy. "My boss is a real pain."

Caroline poked her tongue out at him. "That's because you won't stop using your students to help lobby for a climbing wall in the gym."

"Hey, I can't help it if our students are smart kids that know a good idea when they hear it. Besides …" He shifted a little, ignoring the glare his husband shot him. "Tony already said he'd pay for it."

Caroline's eyes bulged so fast the world began to spin. "I'm sorry,  _what_?"

"I talked to him about it at dinner."

"While I was lying in a bed practically dying?"

"Sorry about that," Elena repeated.

"I didn't know you were hurt at the time," Jeremy defended. "Besides, he said it was a good idea."

"I could ask Tony to build me a helipad and he'd think that was a great idea. He's overcorrecting for the years absent for my life, and it's not fair to take advantage of that." She cringed, hearing herself. This wasn't the time to pick a fight, not even a light-hearted one like this. She wasn't mad at Jeremy, but she'd still have to wait to give him shit.

"Plus," Caroline continued, "Tony's super into helping the girls out. I guess kids are really important to him, y'know?" She shared her smile around the whole table, sharpening her gaze when she got to Bonnie and Valerie.  _Take the segue. I'm serving it up to you on a platter._

"Ooh, the food's here!" said Bonnie, diverting everyone's attention to the waitress.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline let herself drink in the scent of a good old-fashioned burger and move on.

* * *

"Happy's your guy?" asked Rhodey, eyeing the beer piled on the coffee table. "I thought you'd have some kind of brewing maestro invade my home with his wine-tasting lackeys."

"First of all, you don't brew wine, Rhodes. You know this. Second of all, Happy is a welcome addition to our dynamic. Aren't you Hap?"

Happy scowled at Tony from where he'd been corralled into sitting down on the sofa. "Whatever you say, boss."

"You can't hold your employees hostage, Tony."

"I'm not holding anyone hostage," Tony defended. "But we have beer and beer nuts. Let's watch the big game!"

"What game would that be, Tony?" asked Happy.

"I don't know—the one with the players. Isn't there always a big game on?"

Rhodey groaned. "Why would there always be a game on?"

"Because if we don't have a big game, how do we know it's a guys' night?"

Happy smirked. "If three guys get together with some beer and there isn't a game to talk about, are they even bonding?"

"Exactly, Hap. See, you're a welcome part of this gang."

"There is no big game," said Rhodey. "We can talk like regular humans. Our masculinity will survive it."

Tony smirked. "If we're talking being men—"

"If you're about to make another 'manned or unmanned joke', don't. It's just as offensive as the first time you told it."

"It's not offensive," said Tony, snorting.

Happy nodded solemnly, sipping on his beer. "Super transphobic, Tony."

"Okay, noted." Tony pulled out his phone and made a note:  _Manned or unmanned — transphobic ?_  "So," he continued. "Let's get this party started."

* * *

Caroline groaned as she devoured the last of her burger. "God, these are like edible orgasms."

"Gross," protested Jeremy, kicking her under the table.

Ignoring him, Caroline settled back against the seat, leather creaking under her weight, and patted her stomach. "I feel like I'm having a food baby."

Bonnie groaned. "Oh, my god, Caroline. Stop trying to set us up here."

"What?" Caroline asked innocently. "I just ate the biggest burger in Virginia. You can't fault me for talking about it."

"Is something going on?" asked Elena.

Bonnie and Valerie exchanged a look. "We came here to make an announcement today," Bonnie began. "Caroline, of course, has been trying to give us an opportunity, but she has all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, so here goes." They linked hands, squeezing tightly. "Valerie and I have decided to start a family."

The table exploded with joy, Matt making an embarrassingly high-pitched noise and Elena diving out of her side of the booth to grab Bonnie for a hug.

"But you're not pregnant yet, right?" Jeremy asked.

"No. We're going to start looking into sperm donors next week."

"Thank god, because I'm gonna need to order another round to help me forget that my husband just shrieked."

"It's exciting, you ass," Matt countered, elbowing Jeremy even as he flagged down the waitress.

* * *

Rhodey should have a grandfather clock, Tony decided. At least that way the ticking could distract from the awkward silence that had descended.

"So," Tony began. "Should we talk about something?"

"You talked about Caroline for like an hour," said Happy. "Does that not count?"

"Well, yeah, but do either of you have anything to share?"

"I watched a marathon of  _Little House on the Prairie_  the other day," said Rhodey.

"Nice," said Happy.

"It's super racist, actually. But thanks."

"And what about you, Hap?" asked Tony. "What's going on in your neck of the woods?"

"Same-old, same-old."

Rhodey scoffed. "That is such a non-answer. Come on, dude."

"Give us something juicy to tease you about!" Tony demanded, kicking a leg up to rest his foot against the coffee table.

"Okay," said Happy, draining his beer. "I moved to a new apartment."

"When was this?" asked Tony. "I didn't see the change on your personnel file."

"Because you check that so often."

"Shut up, Rhodes." Tony ignored the bird Rhodey flipped at him. "Where'd you move to, Hap?"

Tossing his beer can at the trash, Happy said, "Queens."

"Quee—seriously? You had a great place! What's in Queens that isn't around here?"

Happy retrieved another beer, cracking it open. "My cancer-ridden sister."

And just like that, all the mirth fled from the room.

"Dude," said Rhodey. "That's rough."

Happy shrugged, tapping his can with a finger but not moving to drink from it. "It is what it is. She needs help with the chemo and all that, and after her divorce she doesn't really have anyone around to help out, so I moved in with her."

Rhodey nodded. "I bet she hates that, huh."

"Jen's never been the kind of person that got help. She's more of a helper herself."

"Yeah, she moved half my boxes when I first moved into the city. How bad is it?"

"Breast cancer, but they're doing some tests to see if it's spread. She's looking at chemo, maybe surgery." Happy shifted, looking uncomfortable. "I don't know how to talk to her about it, even. It's like she's trying to pretend it's not happening. Unless I'm driving her to an appointment, she might as well not have cancer. Though I'm guessing starting chemo next week will change that." He cast a look around the room. "Sorry for ruining the mood."

"Hey, no, no problem," Rhodey insisted. "And if anything pain management-related comes up, I know a doc and I can put you in touch."

"Thanks, man. Appreciate it." Silence descended once more, and Happy broke it. "You, uh, want me to order pizza to soak up this booze? We might need it."

"Good idea," said Rhodey. "You can grab my card if you—"

"Nah, I got it." Happy stood, pulling out his phone. "I'll just order down the hall, where it's quieter," he said, wandering off.

Tony watched him go intently.

"Want to speak up, Tony?" Rhodey prompted. "No need to make it awkwarder."

"Do you think she has insurance to cover the bills?" asked Tony. "I should just find out, right? I can find out and pay them off if it becomes an issue—"

"Ask." Rhodey's stare drilled holes into Tony. "Ask first. Start a conversation about how you can help. Don't just do it like a high-handed jerk."

"But—" Tony bit his tongue as Happy's footsteps echoed down the hall and he reappeared.

"Pizza should be here in ten," he announced, almost spilling his beer as he sat down. "Should we, uh, see if there's any game on at all?"

"Great idea," Rhodey praised, grabbing the remote.

* * *

Caroline stopped at one drink so she could drive them home. Bonnie and Valerie were capital 'W'  _Wasted_ by the time the Grill closed up for the night, leaving Caroline with the duty of shepherding them into the backseat and making sure they were buckled in.

"Y'should teach us howta be good moms," Bonnie slurred as Caroline leaned over her, clicking in the seat belt.

"When you're sober, sure." Caroline stepped back, making sure Bonnie's feet where in the car before she closed the door.

"Put on the radio!" Valerie demanded as Caroline climbed onto the driver seat, starting the car.

"Fine," Caroline sighed dramatically, flipping it on. The dulcet tones of 'Lady Marmalade' filtered over the car, awakening a sleepy Bonnie immediately.

Grinning, Caroline pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. She peeked in the rearview mirror to find Bonnie and Valerie singing to each other, goofy smiles plastered on their faces.

They were going to be great moms.

* * *

Caroline waited until Bonnie and Valerie were in their room, making sure they'd locked the door before heading up to hers. She checked on the girls down the hall, finding them happily asleep in bed. She kissed each of their little foreheads before sneaking back out, floorboards creaking as she tip-toed to stop her heels from clacking on the floor.

Once in her room, Caroline dumped her clothes into the laundry basket and hopped right into the shower, taking care not to wet her hair. She towelled off and hopped straight into her pajamas, sneaking her phone from her purse before switching off the lights and diving into bed.

She only had one notification—a text from Tony three minutes ago.

_Free to talk?_

_Yeah,_ she replied.

The phone buzzed in her hand a moment later. She tapped Accept and put it to her ear.

"Hi."

" _Hey. You're up late."_

"Had a night out with some friends. And I could say the same about you."

" _Had a guys' night."_

"With Happy and Rhodey? Good for you guys. Hope it was fun."

" _Fun probably isn't the exact term I'd use, but it wasn't unpleasant. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm having the Tower cleared out."_

"Cleared out of what?"

" _Perfumes, air fresheners, that kind of thing. Just so you're not at risk when you come to visit."_

Caroline groaned. "You didn't have to do that."

" _Yes, I did."_

"No, you really didn't."

" _Yes, I did. I'm just letting you know because I'm staying with Rhodes while it's happening, so if anything changes and you were coming up here, I'm not at the Tower."_

"Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me. But, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but … we didn't make plans? I mean, we talked about the summer—"

" _No, no, I'm not saying—I just wanted you to know."_

"Okay, that's cool." How long had it been since Tony had someone to tell where he was? He wasn't with Pepper Potts anymore, and Happy always knew where he was. Rhodey owned the house he was at. "Thank you for thinking of me."

" _No problem. After it's done you can come and stay any time. I know you're busy, but the option is there."_

"It sounds amazing. I just … I probably won't be travelling so much, these next few weeks. It's, uh, it's coming up on my wedding anniversary, so I'm going to take it easy."

" _Oh, your—shit. I'm sorry."_

"Don't be. It's just a harder time than usual."

" _Any way I can help?"_

"Nothing that springs to mind. I'll just spend some time at his grave, then try to bury myself in work. The healthy stuff."

" _Sounds familiar."_

"I won't be drinking."

" _Sounds less familiar."_

Caroline chuckled. "Look, we both need sleep. I have a full day of work tomorrow and you are not making Rhodey cook you a late breakfast in his own home. He deserves the full treatment."

" _I already ordered stuff. I have it handled. Happy's here too, napping on the couch."_

"So the three of you will sit down to a hearty breakfast together. Sounds adorable."

" _Happy and Rhodes will be hungover to high hell, but yeah. Adorable."_

"Have fun, you crazy kids."

" _Likewise. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight." Caroline pressed hang up, switching her phone off and dropping it onto her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews = sustenance!


	14. Collecting Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A painfully late and painfully short chapter, though I promise I'm aiming to have another one out before Christmas. Think of it less as a chapter, more as an interlude. Enjoy!

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 

#  _ Collecting Names _

 

 

"Am I being weird, or is this a little creepy?" asked Bonnie.

Valerie kept scrolling, not glancing up at her wife. "Creepy how, my love?"

"Creepy like we're looking through guys to get pregnant with?"

"We're not getting pregnant with them, just their seed."

"Don't say seed! That makes it ten times worse!" Bonnie sat up in the bed, burying her face in her hands. She felt Valerie shift in the bed beside her, coming up behind her to rest her hands on her shoulders.

"You know," said Valerie, mouth right by Bonnie's ear, "if you don't want to do this, you don't have to."

Bonnie leaned back into her. "Of course I do. I brought it up, after all."

"But that doesn't mean you have to carry through. There's no obligation, and just because you're the only one that can carry a baby doesn't mean you have to. We can always adopt."

"No, it's fine," said Bonnie. "I'm fine with the procedure and all that, it's just looking at their pictures and reading their life stories—"

"We don't have to do that," Valerie suggested helpfully. "We can set it all aside and just ask for someone random. I don't know how the protocol works, but I can compel them to go along with anything we want."

"I appreciate the offer, but there are things we should know, right? Like health risks and stuff, just so we can be prepared."

"Preparation isn't everything, my love. We can just take things as they come."

Bonnie turned around to face Valerie, settling her legs on either side of her and narrowly avoiding kicking the laptop with her foot. "But isn't that the point of this? We can choose, control, and prepare."

Valerie bumped Bonnie's nose with her own. "Observing Ric and Caroline with their girls, I do feel that the biggest mistake we can make is thinking that we're in control. And if all of this"—she tilted her head toward the laptop, giving off a glow in the dark room—"is making you feel uncomfortable, it might be good to find a way around it."

Bonnie dropped her head onto Valerie's collarbone, cheek pressed against the lace fringe of her top. "We already collected so many names, though."

"Then we'll throw them out. We don't need a list; we just need each other."

Bonnie pulled back, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Valerie asked.

"Oh, I was just waiting for Caroline to burst in and yell at you for trash-talking lists."

"God, the woman does love her organisational tools." Valerie framed Bonnie's face with her hands, gazing lovingly into her eyes. The light from the laptop made her blue-green eyes luminous, though that may have just been her joy. "However we do this, we can make it work. You're allowed to make rules. Unless we change our minds about adoption, we're talking about your body here. I don't want anything happening to you that you aren't all right with. Having a baby is important to me, it has been for so long, but having you hurt in the process … I can't imagine."

Bonnie nodded, processing. "Then let's throw out the list," she said, finally. "No more collecting names and finding donors. We get someone random, and take whatever comes our way."

"Sounds like a plan."

"But we need to have the random guy's profile. I want to look over anything we should prepare for—just no picture. I'd really rather not."

"Of course. We can talk about it at our appointment on Wednesday." Valerie's grin was only a flash as she darted forward to kiss Bonnie. "Should we burn the list we made?"

Bonnie pushed lightly on Valerie's shoulders, pushing her back down onto the bed. "Maybe later."


	15. The Lovers That Went Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another pitifully short and disastrously late update. I've been sick over the Christmas holidays (well, sicker than usual), so my apologies for that.

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 

#  _ The Lovers That Went Wrong _

 

 

Caroline pulled into the graveyard parking lot, heart resting solidly in her stomach. The scent of gardenias filled her nostrils, doing little to soothe her as she glanced at the bundle of them resting on the passenger seat. Stefan had loved gardenias.

Grabbing the bouquet, Caroline forced herself to move, leaving the car behind. She locked it as an afterthought, mind already on the trek ahead.

The Salvatore crypt was some ways away from the other graves, tucked in a thicket of bushes and towering trees. Caroline followed the path to it, her heeled boots scuffing on the dry, cracked clay.

Stefan's grave was as it always was; a stark, grey square set into the wall, so simply engraved with the facts: his name, his role, that he was loved. It was almost sterile, if not for the dead bouquet of flowers in the steel bracket beside it.

"Hey," Caroline said, wincing at the sound of her voice breaking the silence. She replaced the flowers, dropping the old, exhausted ones onto the floor and out of sight. She ran a hand over the stone, her wedding ring glinting on her finger. "Happy anniversary."

* * *

An hour passed before Caroline heard a heartbeat nearby. She scented the air for a moment, and that was all it took to identify the owner. It was sans the usual cologne, but that was to be expected, given the recent lies she'd told him.

Caroline wandered out of the crypt just as Tony appeared on the path in the distance. He was dressed more humbly than usual, his T-shirt plain, his jeans looser, and his shades not the least bit flashy.

He approached cautiously, taking the time to watch her reaction to his presence. "I can leave if you need me to. I just … it'd kill me if I didn't at least offer to be here."

"You couldn't have offered over the phone?"

He ducked his head.

Caroline stretched out her hand. "Come on. I was just talking to him about you."

Tony took her hand dubiously, following her inside. "Good things, I hope."

"He's my husband. I shouldn't lie to him."

He laughed. "I guess not. What's the verdict?"

"Jury's still out." Caroline shot him a smile as she released his hand and sat on the bench, patting it to convince him to join her. He did, resting his elbows on his knees as he look around the place.

"Seems like he was a nice guy."

"The best."

Tony shifted again. "Is there … anything I can do?"

"Just being here is enough."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, one that Caroline had long since learned to occupy.


	16. We Are the Reckless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first this year! Hoping to keep up a regular updating schedule, but I am going back to uni in March, plus starting a new job this week, so uh maybe not. Reviews are always encouraging though!

 

 

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

#  _We Are the Reckless, the Wild Youth_

  


 

"A quinoa salad for the lady," said the waitress, dropping Caroline's plate in front of her, then turning to Tony, "and a vegan burger for you. Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Thank you so much." Caroline smiled at the waitress until she'd left, then turned back to Tony. "You look like you've never seen a vegan burger before in your life."

"I can't say I have." Tony prodded it with one finger. "It doesn't  _look_  like eating it will kill me, but I don't want to risk it. I'm in the prime of my life."

"You can always have some of my salad."

Without hesitation, Tony said, "Vegan burger it is," and scooped it up to take a bite.

Caroline laughed, digging into her own salad. It wasn’t her favourite daytime joint anymore, but she still enjoyed visiting The Grill for nostalgia’s sake. Even if they had gone a little hipster during the day, the night cook still did the best burgers she’d ever tasted. When Tony had suggested going out for lunch after the cemetery, she’d suggested the first place that came into her head.

At the look on Tony's face, Caroline laughed again. "A sip of juice might help it go down." By "juice" she meant "cold-pressed apple juice that costs more than a glass of wine", so it had better be good.

"No, it's fine," said Tony, still chewing a little. "I've just never had lentil on a burger before."

"We can go somewhere else if you want."

"No, this is great. So, you, uh, come here often?"

"Only ever since I was a kid. Matt used to work here, too. He'd sneak us beer while we were underage, even though he wasn't technically supposed to even be serving it. I've had some good times." And some not so good times. She'd met Damon here, after all. She knows what happened after that, even if she doesn't like to think about it.

"You hang out with Stefan here?"

"Constantly, when we were in high school. Not so much after, though. There were other joints closer to campus. Was there anywhere like this for you when you were young? Or did you move around too much?"

"After I moved out, I found a couple favourite places. Your mom and I used to grab sandwiches from this deli in Queens, back when we were hanging out."

"She loved TLTs," said Caroline. "Turkey, lettuce, and tomato."

"Oh, yeah. But I used to make her try new sauces on it, just to figure out if there was one she actually liked."

"I'm guessing you had no luck?"

"She was religiously opposed to enjoying sauces. It was weird."

"Agreed. The first time I asked for ketchup and mustard on my fries, she practically flipped a table. Maybe she figured I got that from you."

"I'm more of a mustard and mayo kind of guy, actually."

"Gross. I've gotta try that."

He laughed at her. "Let me know when you do."

"I will." Caroline took a moment, drinking her water and buying time. "So, you and Mom hung out a lot?"

"Kind of."

"I just … figured it was a one-time thing? I don't know that I really understood how much you guys knew each other."

"We saw each other most days while she was in New York for training. I was staying there, working for Stark Industries for the first time, disappointing my father. The usual. Once we met, it was like I finally had a friend in that god-awful city. Not that I still think it's a god-awful city."

"Or that she was just your friend."

"Right."

"So, when did you … I mean, when did you guys get together?"

"She was dating your dad at first, so not until they broke up for a bit. I guess she went back to him after she found out she was pregnant."

"Do you know why she wouldn't just tell you? I mean, it's not like you couldn't have helped out. Financially, at least."

"Your mother and I … our circumstances weren't always typical. Half the time, I didn't know what she thought of me."

"Why?" Liz Forbes had never struck Caroline as particularly inscrutable.

"I guess she never fully trusted me. What I am now … this is after the whole reinvention of myself and my company. What I was then was messier."

Caroline could see how his shoulders tensed, how he categorically did not want to discuss this. Changing tack, she said, "Can you tell me about her? I can't really wrap my head around the picture of you guys hanging out."

"Neither could she, in the beginning. New York is a big city, but somehow we couldn't keep away from each other. I wonder if part of it was deliberate on her part, and I think she wondered the same for me."

"What, you both thought you were being stalked by the other?" Caroline couldn't hide her grin. "That's both alarming and hilarious. Do go on."

Tony put down his burger, apparently done with it. "Well, there was this one time, just after we met, that she was hanging out at my apartment and my parents came home. My father saw her, wearing dowdy clothes and in line for a job as what he called a "civil servant", not a cop, because, you know, she was a woman … and he just didn't like her. Didn't trust her, thought she was out to get something. I guess he thought she was there for money or something. He warned me to use protection or something, and that was the last I heard of him for months."

Caroline tried hard to bury her disgust. "That's fucked up." Okay, not hard enough.

"Yeah. I kind of wish there was a way to tell him that when Liz  _was_ pregnant she didn't ask for a dime. That she lived a life more honourable than he could imagine, all in spite of his shitty judgment."

"Did Mom know he felt that way?"

"After the first run-in, I kept them away from each other. Partly because I was afraid he'd offend her, partly because I was afraid she'd shoot him."

"If only." Caroline winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine. I indulged in a fantasy or two at the time. But my father … he did love me in the end."

He spoke of Howard like she spoke of Bill. Anger, sadness, things that had long gone unsaid—but always,  _always_  with that same disclaimer.  _He did love me._

"Not all love is the right kind," Caroline said. "I mean, I'm not a perfect parent, but I can't imagine treating my kids like that. And I know Ric wouldn't, and he pretty much is a perfect parent."

Tony shrugged, gaze focused on his drink. "He was from a different time."

"That excuse doesn't work for wrinkly old bigots and it doesn't work for terrible parents. You deserved better, and I'm sorry you didn't get it."

"You deserved better than an absent father. Both times."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Mmm."

Caroline picked at her salad, appetite gone. "So, are you planning on staying in town?"

"I probably have some work to do." Tony sounded resigned. "I was also hoping to get some more information from you about that perfume that set you off."

"What for?"

"I wanted to do some research into the composition of it, see what's going on. If you haven't reacted to other odours before, there might be something in there there shouldn't be."

Caroline scoffed, inwardly panicking at how right he was. "It's nothing, Tony. Don't worry about it."

"Please, Caroline. Let me worry about this for you."

Caroline looked into his eyes, the earnest gaze. Two months ago, she'd never have thought Tony Stark would or could look like that. She wanted to grant his request, she did, but she couldn't risk him getting involved. "It was made from scratch by this company in Texas. A family-run one that lets you select your own scent combinations. It's a tiny business, doesn't even have its own website."

"Oh, okay then." Tony processed for a moment. "Guess there's not much to be done but not buying from there again."

"Yeah, I guess so." Caroline ran her fork over her salad again, the chewy, gluten-free croutons bouncing around rather than letting her stab them. "Do you want to go eat somewhere else?"

"God, yes."

"Good. There's a Thai place down the street that will change your life."

They stood, gathering their things. Tony payed the bill, but only because he promise


	17. The Wild Youth, Chasing Visions of Our Futures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Thank you all for your patience and support :)

_Here lies Elizabeth Joan Forbes_

_Loving mother, cherished friend_

Tony resisted the urge to reach out and touch the headstone. Only freaks and people in movies did that, he reasoned, and squashed the impulse by shoving his hands deep in his pockets. He was alone, Caroline having returned to the Armory for a late afternoon meeting. He was supposed to be driving back to New York, but something had drawn him back to the cemetery, to right where he stood now.

"I never had anything to say about my parents." He shifted on his feet, staring down the patch of earth that stretched between his loafers and the stone. "Never spoke at their funeral, never talked to their graves. Guess I didn't see the point. They can't talk back, right? Not that I wanted to hear what they had to say—Dad would be disappointed, and so would Mom, if in a different way. But with you … even though I know we didn't part on good terms, and I know that's my fault, I just … I want to know what you would say. We have unfinished business, I guess.

"Speaking of which, she's doing great. I know she comes to see you, so you've seen that yourself. Or you haven't, because you're a bag of bones under six feet of earth and the stone we talk to is more for our comfort than for yours. But let's pretend that's not how this works. I know that's what she does."

He paused, throat thick with something unidentifiable. "I want to know why you never told me, but I think I know the answer. Or, at least, a thousand possible answers. And you were right, whatever it was about, because she's great. And I don't think that's in spite of me not being there, I think … not being a Stark is a fundamental part of who she is, more than anyone else who isn't actually a Stark. And that was the right call on your part; I can see that now."

Clearing his throat, Tony looked away from the grass, the stone, and up at the sky. "Rhodey's doing great. You never really knew Happy, but you met Rhodes, and I know you'd wanna know how he is. He got hurt, and it was my fault, but I'm gonna make that right. He's coping, better now than he was. He's probably the only reason I met her to start with. I wasn't exactly graceful about all this, as I'm sure you could've predicted. And you did predict it, you know, when you decided to cut me out entirely."

Tony laughed bitterly, wincing. "I guess I am still mad about that." He returned his gaze to the headstone.

_Here lies Elizabeth Joan Forbes_

_Loving mother, cherished friend_

"I can't thank you for keeping her from me. I understand why, but I hate it. But I will thank you for her name. Caroline Maria Forbes. It would've meant a lot to my mom. Maybe once I can recover from how stupid this is making me feel I'll clear the ivy off the family crypt and go tell her about it."

He froze, silence suspended between the head stone and him, wind rustling the leaves.

* * *

_February 2nd, 1988_

For the first time all night, Tony finally freed himself from the sweaty press of the crowd, breathing in fresh night air. Freezing night air, but fresh nonetheless.

Beside him, Liz showed the same relief, despite the wide smile that hadn't left her face since the first strains of  _It_ _'s So Easy._

"So I'm assuming you enjoyed yourself?" Tony asked her.

Liz laughed. "Enjoyed it? God, I don't think I'll ever forget it. When Axl dove into the crowd—"

"You should've heard your scream."

"I didn't hear my scream! I could barely hear my own thoughts." Liz was still panting, gripping Tony's hand as they walked along the street. Her hair was slick at the temples, curling and frizzing in a way Tony had ever seen before. She looked more alive than ever. Turning to him, the colour high in her cheeks, she said, "Thank you so much."

Tony looked away, shrugging. "It's … no big deal."

"You took me to the concert of the century. But yeah, no big deal." Liz laughed again, eyes shining. "Come on, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving."

She dragged him to a stall selling street meats and bought something slathered in gravy and wrapped in bread that Tony couldn't identify, but fuck if it didn't taste amazing—though, in that moment, he wasn't sure that cardboard wouldn't have tasted like chocolate. Not with Liz looking at him like that.

"You look thoughtful," she said.

He tried to sound offended. "I'm always thoughtful."

"Fine. More thoughtful than usual. Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. Just … my dad, you know."

"Ugh. What did he do now?"

Tony couldn't help but smile at her. Liz had never met Howard, but she was always quick to hate him at Tony's behest. She and Rhodes were a riot when they hung out, though he was at basic training at the moment and unavailable to join her in her disdain.

"Nothing more than usual," Tony replied. "I think he wants me to move out of the city. Something about me taking too many liberties."

"He can't do that to you." Liz located a bench right under a streetlight and dragged Tony to sit down with her. "This is your home."

"Not according to him."

"Well, fuck him. You made something of yourself here. You have friends, a life. This is where you made yourself."

"It's also where he caught me getting high that one time. And that other time. And that other—"

"Okay, stop. First of all, quit telling a future police officer about your drug habits. Second of all, you've done great things here! If he can't see that it's because he's a lazy asshole. I swear, we'll be better parents than this."

Tony choked on his street meat. "Um, what?"

It almost seemed like Liz flushed a little, but he might have just been imagining it. "I just mean that when—if—we're parents in the future, we'll be better than this. Your dad is … awful, and you deserve better. So you'll be better. I know I'm never telling my kid what to do. At least, not till she's grown."

"She? Wow, you really have your life all figured out."

"Kinda, yeah. Got a problem with that, Stark?"

Tony smirked into his foot. "Not even a little."

Lizzie shoved his leg with her boot. "You don't think you'll be better than Howard?"

"I don't know. I guess."

"You will," Liz said, sounding so sure. "You'll be great at it. Just you see."

"If you say so." Tony tried to inject as much skepticism into his voice as possible, but he didn't mean it. The way Liz looked at him, the certainty in her voice … maybe she was right. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

_Now_ _…_

Tony stared down the headstone in silence. "Fuck it."

He stepped forward and touched the headstone, right on the E. "I'm gonna take care of her. You might have changed your mind about me, but I'm gonna do everything you said I could. I promise."

Clearing his throat, Tony stepped back and pulled his shades over his eyes.

* * *

Ric knocked on Caroline's office door at 4pm, just as her appointment concluded. She closed down Skype and shut her laptop, rubbing her eyes. Her fingers came away laden with mascara and god knows whatever gunk.

"You look well."

Caroline glared at him. "You look like a sarcastic ass."

Ric's returning smile was mild as he sat across from her. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better. The anniversary always sucks."

"Yeah, it does." If anyone knew how Caroline felt, it was Ric. They'd both lost the love of their lives on their wedding day, both tragically, both left with a horrific wedding anniversary to celebrate in the graveyard every year. "I'm sorry I couldn't come with you to the grave this morning."

"It's fine. Tony showed up, actually."

"Really? Did you … want him to?"

"I didn't know I wanted him to until he was there, but yeah, it was nice. We went out for lunch after. He told me a bit more about my mom."

"How long is he staying in town?"

"He's heading back tonight. Probably has work to do, a world to save, etcetera."

"It was good of him to come."

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

"But … something's up."

"Nothing's  _up_  per se, just … he's been airing out the Tower? Like, getting rid of all the air fresheners and whatever. Fully refurbishing it, from what I gather. I'm willing to bet it's not exactly cheap."

"Why would he do that?" Ric caught Caroline's guilty stare. "Right—your allergies."

"So my lie cost him millions of dollars."

"You don't know it cost him that much."

"Have you seen pictures of Stark Tower? He would've had to displace workers and everything while they stripped and refurbished it. It's a massive job, all because I told him it was an allergy attack."

"What's the alternative, Caroline? Telling him the truth?"

Caroline focused her attention on re-ordering her pens, straighting her laptop, making sure everything on her desk was perfect. "Maybe."

"If you did, what do you think he'd say?"

"I don't know. There's this whole Accords thing and him being all about supervising heroes and powered people, and what if he tries to apply that to us?"

"He'd never turn you in."

"He'd consider it. He had a whole war to this effect, Alaric. Captain America was there."

"But do you think he would do that to  _you_?" When Caroline didn't speak, he continued. "Because I would never do that to my daughters, and he has to see that you're trying to help people here. You're protecting witches, werewolves, and your own kind with this. Building bridges that he won't want to see burn."

"What if he doesn't see that? What if he doesn't wait to see what kind of vampire I am before he starts grabbing the pitchfork?"

"What if he's like Bill, you mean?"

Caroline didn't meet Ric's gaze. "Possibly."

"Care, even Bill wasn't like Bill in the end. He came around. Your mom played a big part in that, but the rest of us … we can help him see, like Liz did for your dad."

"Bill strapped me to a chair and burned me over and over. I still can't show people my fangs without remembering how he taunted me, how he punished me every time they slipped free. Do you know what that's like, Ric? To be so disgusted with myself that I can't even express my hunger?"

"You know I understand, Caroline. I was a hunter, then a super-hunter, then a ghost, then a vampire, and now a human again. I know what self-loathing is. I hated myself so much, those months as a vampire. I hated myself more than I'd ever hated any vampire, even the ones that I  _wasn_ _'t_  friends with."

"Okay, so you get it then."

"A little too much," Ric admitted. "My point is that I don't think Tony could ever hate you. And if he did, it wouldn't be anywhere near as much as you hate yourself. You loved being a vampire, Caroline. Those first few months were hard, but you loved the power, the abilities, the safety. Let him see what you love about it, what you hate about it. I think you'll find that he agrees with you."

Caroline blinked the tears away. "So you're saying you think I should tell him?"

"I'm saying your lie already has a pretty hefty price tag attached. And, you know, if you tell him and things go bad, you can always compel him."

"I don't want to do that."

"I know, but if it's that or keeping our family safe …"

Caroline finally met Ric's gaze and nodded. "Okay, so I should tell him, and I should be prepared to make him forget it. But when?"

"You have no appointments on Friday. Maybe you should head up for the weekend?"

"You're sure that's okay? I feel like I was just up there."

"I'm more than sure. And sooner rather than later is probably best. Before he spends another million refurbishing his summer home or whatever for your allergies."

Caroline cringed, dropping her face into her hands. "Oh, god, he totally will."

Ric chuckled. "He loves you."

"Yeah, he does," Caroline agreed. She just had to remember that.

7


	18. ANNOUNCEMENT (not a chapter, sorry!)

To those of you coming from an alert and expecting to read a chapter: sorry!

So as some of you are aware, I'm severely chronically ill. I'm also at uni, writing several other fics, my own original stuff, and trying to manage my health.

Lately, as some of you have noticed by the lack of updates, I've been struggling with Empty Hands. At first I thought it was busy-ness, then post-IW fatigue, then my worsening health, but really I just don't have the inspiration to continue this story. The beginning was so exciting and I still have the plot outline, but every time I sit down to work on a chapter I feel so bored with myself that I'm certain it translates to the page. I'm not having this issue with my other TO fics, and I'm starting to think it's unique to MCU-based stuff; I really just feel exhausted with it all and investing emotionally (and creatively) in it is demoralising at this point.

So I guess we have three options:

1\. I can go on hiatus in case inspiration strikes again.

2\. I can push and try to get through some of the work, slowly, but updates will be slow and lacklustre, I assure you.

3\. I can put the story up for adoption and see if someone else wants to take it.

So from here it's kind of up to you guys and what you think. I really appreciate all the support you've given and I hate to just break things off, hence this update. I felt awful dragging it on for so long while leaving the dilemma in my own head, so I thought it might be time to jot it down for you guys and hear your thoughts. Please let me know how you feel about any option. Obviously the outcome won't please everyone (and what would please everyone, including me, is just being struck with inspiration and finishing this baby in like a week, but that's not happening), but I'm hoping to find some middle ground. If I end it, I'll at least try to write a nice send-off for the characters that helps everything feel resolved, even if it's not in the way I originally intended.

Anyhow, let me know what you think!


	19. Announcement II

Hi all!

I've heard your thoughts publicly and privately and the preference seems to be against leaving the story to be adopted out and instead finishing it at my own pace. I can't promise I'll continue it soon, but I am working through the fic I  _am_  feeling inspired about fairly quickly. Hopefully once I've burned through the Matt/Elijah fic and the latest Klayley epistolary angst-fest things will pick back up for this one. Since I'm having some heart issues and am trying to stay calm/unstressed, leaving this on indefinite hiatus until I can confidently pick it back up and deliver a satisfactory ending seems to be the best option.

Thank for all your input and support, and I hope to be able to resolve this story for you guys soon. 

All my love,

Flo


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